By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
Updates to the Town of Osoyoos’ Transportation Master Plan (TMP) have been revealed, showcasing both the short-term and the long-term visions for making it easier for everyone to get around town.
Presented by Tyler Madsen, the Town’s Director of Operational Services, the TMP is the result of nearly a full year’s worth of work on the Town’s part. Reviews of data and existing future plans began in August 2025, and the overall process included two rounds of community engagement, along with assessment of current road conditions.
The TMP aims to achieve several goals, with the main vision tying them all together being to create a transportation network that preserves the character of Osoyoos while moving people around more safely and efficiently.
Among the goals in the plan are committing to an “age-friendly, connected walking network”, connecting the cycling infrastructure with multi-use paths, improving the highway corridor and local parking scene, and building up shared transportation such as public transit.
Madsen confirmed to Councillor Jim King that all the different modes of transportation included in the TMP were approached equally attention-wise, with no one mode taking priority over the other.
“There is more (monetary) investment in road renewal and new roadways, recognizing that is how your residents get around today,… that said, there are some pretty significant actions at improving other options,” Madsen said.
“Making it easier to walk and bike around town, recognizing that that is ultimately the most cost-effective strategy for the Town to deal with an increased transportation demand from summertime visitors.”
Focus on trends is emphasized in looking toward future transportation mode developments, and as such, short-trip modes are prioritized given the smaller size of Osoyoos, relative to locales such as Penticton.
New developments for short-distance travel will not only make it easier for Osoyoos’s population, which has an older average age, to get around but also reduce demand on the town’s Main Street/Highway 3. The TMP also lines up some developments with pre-planned road renewal, to maintain construction efficiency.
Walkability
Currently, there are a number of individual spots that are very walkable, with the Pioneer Walkway and the multi-use trail at the Lakeshore among the highlights.
The goal is to build around those pathways, and complete a network of walking paths to meet the needs of residents. In surveying residents, the Town has determined that about half of them would like to walk more.
Three different projects are slated to be completed in the next two years, as part of the process to achieve this goal.
A sidewalk along the north side of Harbour Key Drive would not only cover an existing sidewalk gap from Main Street to the Solana Key Pathway, but also make it easier to access the nearby dog park. Access to boat trailer parking in that area would be enhanced as well.
The other two projects on tap for the immediate future are improvements to the intersection of Main Street and Kingfisher Drive, and crosswalk upgrades along Hotel Row, which would require collaboration with the provincial Ministry of Transportation.
Options for the intersection upgrades also include enhancing the crosswalks, along with potential left turn lanes and either adding traffic signals or a roundabout.
Cycling options
Alongside improving the Town’s walkability, the TMP details projects that would give a boost to local cyclists, both dedicated and casual. With a third of the Town’s residents expressing interest in riding their bikes more often, and with both the climate, and flat terrain of the area contributing to a favourable cycling environment, offering more routes for cyclists that don’t share the road with vehicles is a major focus of the Town in the next three years.
The first dedicated bike pathway to be completed would be on Kingfisher Road, which is undergoing renewal currently. Renewing the road includes giving it the ability to have a “quick-build” path installed for bikes in the immediate future.
For the 2028-2029 time frame, a neighbourhood bikeway on 74 Avenue, as well as a multi-use 87 Street pathway, and including bike infrastructure in the reconstruction of Oleander Drive, are listed as targets for completion.
Three other projects were mentioned; those being a bikeway in East Osoyoos, 92 Avenue Reconstruction, and enhancing 62 Avenue. The 92 Avenue project in particular, along with 87 Street, would help connect Osoyoos to the proposed regional Trail of the Okanagans, offering a way for local residents to move around the Okanagan Valley by foot or bike.
Possible concerns around shared-use paths would be mitigated through measures such as a painted centre line on the paths, and installing bollards at intersections as a speed-calming measure. The TMP also suggests signage upgrades, and public messaging to encourage responsible sharing of the paths between cyclists and pedestrians.
To correspond with the potential rise in cyclists, additional bike parking capacity is suggested by the TMP to help make biking a “practical option”.
A cost-shared program to offer bike racks at local businesses is one idea proposed, with another being extra public bike racks at parks, beaches, and other Town-owned properties. For future commercial and multi-family developments, the Town could look into updating the Zoning Bylaw to require considerations for bike parking.
Roadway improvements
Improvements to walking and biking infrastructure, road projects, and building out the street network are recommended to be undertaken when road renewal is already scheduled to take place, for the purpose of cost efficiency.
The TMP does propose to add to the 46 kms of roads that exist in Osoyoos, primarily in East Osoyoos where it’s easiest, and makes more sense to expand infrastructure.
In the context of cross-town connection, the 45 Street Extension project is referred to as being the “most significant” of all.
Main Street enhancements to allow better conditions for angle street parking and left turns is one additional project that has been historically looked toward as being part of the traffic management solution.
Working with the Ministry of Transportation to develop additional crossings at Highways 3 and 97 could further facilitate easier turns and smoother traffic flow, on top of enhancing cyclist and pedestrian experiences.
The roadway expansion projects are forecast to see an investment of approximately $20.3 million under the master plan, with an additional $9.1 million allocated for renewal.
Adding on the $7.6 million in costs for new biking and walking infrastructure, the TMP proposes $37 million in investments, with between $1.2 and $1.85 million funded annually through 2040. Council ultimately would have the final say in what gets funded and what does not.
Madsen noted, in a response to Councillor Johnny Cheong, that through some of the road projects, low-speed vehicles could soon become better accommodated in Osoyoos through the TMP.
“One proposed action that we do have in the Plan is considering a 30 (kilometre per hour) speed limit on the Town’s municipal streets, the local roads,” Madsen said. “Which would certainly aid the uptick in adoption of low-speed vehicles, helping them integrate more naturally into traffic flow.”
Transit and parking
The other areas of improvement noted in the TMP were for Transit and parking. Though parking will be the focus of its own management strategy in 2027, ideas proposed to open up availability on Main Street include introducing pricing and expanding when time limits are in place.
Allowing for day-use parking around the boat launch area of Osoyoos Lake, and expanding the areas for parking themselves, can also help remedy the existing parking congestion and logistical hurdles.
Transit options proposed could be delivered through an on-demand service with BC Transit, or through a school district-supported opportunity that would drop visitors off at the Osoyoos Secondary School.
The TMP notes as well that seasonal shuttles could be a significant tourism boost, and that other locales such as Tofino and Revelstoke have had success implementing those. Seasonal shuttles could be funded through provincial tourism money, including that supplied via the Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI).
Mayor Sue McKortoff appreciated the immense detail put into the TMP, and how well it informed Council.
“I spent several hours going through and underlining (key details),” McKortoff told Madsen. “You’ve given us lots of ideas that we’ve tried to bring up once in a while; we do have some of them in our long-range plans, but thank you for co-ordinating it, and putting it in a document.”
The draft TMP will be presented to the general public at the Osoyoos Farmers Market on July 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and be available for online viewing throughout the month of July. The final version of the TMP will be presented to Council in September. More details, as well as the online version, can be found at osoyoostmp.ca.
