Updated details of accident here.
By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
A serious accident on Hwy. 3 in East Osoyoos on Saturday evening closed the road for several hours in what unconfirmed reports have said was a hit and run with a pedestrian sustaining serious injuries.
The Times Chronicle will update once official details become available.
Meanwhile, the incident has spurred a rapid call for a flashing light to be installed at the crosswalk just east of the Richter Pass Beach Resort. Currently, the two crosswalks across the highway in that vicinity are simple stripes with no flashing lights such as the crosswalk across Main St. at 87th St.
In a letter addressed to the Minister and Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and copied to Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff and others including the Times Chronicle, Stacy Little the General Manager of the Richter Pass Beach Resort has urged that the safety of the existing crosswalk be improved.
“The yellow curb stripping should be repainted and a flashing yellow light should be implemented,” she wrote.
“The Crowsnest Highway runs past our property as well as several other motels such as the Coast Hotel, Desert Surfside, Holiday Inn etc., and it has become a very dangerous place for pedestrians to cross.”
She notes that while the current speed along that stretch, known locally as “motel row”, is 50 km/hr most people drive much faster – 70 km/hr and more.
“My first year of managing this property a young student from UBC that had been staying with us was hit by a vehicle in the crosswalk, he unfortunately passed away shortly after,” Little said, adding that only weeks after that tragic accident another guest’s dog was hit and killed while crossing the road.
“I know first hand how traumatizing the sudden death of a loved one can be and I want to find a way to prevent this from happening on our road.”
She said she’s willing to get a signed petition, fundraise for a light and get letters of support from our current business owners and residents “if that is what it will take”.
“As a resort town, we need our tourists to be safe. Please advise me on how we can make this stretch of highway safer for locals and tourists alike.”
The stretch of Hwy. 3 that passes through Osoyoos is known as Main St. but because it is a provincial highway the town has no jurisdiction over speed limits or pedestrian crossings for instance.
