By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
The future of a lane running through the linear Gala Park will be studied by Town of Oliver staff in the coming weeks. The decision was made following a lengthy discussion on the topic at the August 5 Regular Council Meeting.
A recommendation had been brought forward by Town staff to create a turn-around at the end of the Gala Park lane. One major reason behind the recommendation is the slope of the area, coupled with stairs and a path that directly cross the lane.
During the Gala Park redesign, line-of-sight concerns were noted, and confirmed by a traffic engineer, as a result of the current configuration. The staff recommendation would have eliminated through traffic along the lane, and allowed the pedestrian path to be unimpeded.
Correspondence had already been done with residents potentially impacted by this proposal, leaving some on Council such as Councillor Petra Veintimilla “surprised” by the quiet progress.
“To see that the neighbourhood has already been contacted, and letters have already gone out,” she said. “And (it) sounded like a done deal, until we got some negative feedback.”
Existing exit (left side) of the laneway on to Gala St.
Town of Oliver photo
Of the residents at the North end of the lane that would be most affected, the majority voiced opposition to a turn-around, though one resident did offer approval of the idea.
The major downside to the proposal, and primary source of the residents’ negative feedback, would have been waste disposal access. Questions arose as to the feasibility of garbage trucks utilizing a potential turn-around, with the alternate idea of waste bins being moved onto the sloped Okanagan Street also not appearing ideal.
“That’s a steep hill, I’m not sure the garbage (bins) will stay upright on that hill. It (could) roll down the hill, or fall over sideways,” Councillor David Mattes explained.
Residents apparently aren’t the only ones concerned about hillside garbage pick-up, as operator Waste Connections of Canada has also expressed how the current situation isn’t ideal. This was something Mayor Martin Johansen noted.
“There were comments from Waste Connections about (it) being dicey,” Johansen noted, “…going down there and picking up garbage anyways.”
The prevailing sentiment was that a turn-around, also known as a cul-de-sac, might not be the best solution for those reasons. Multiple Councillors and Mayor Johansen seemed to share this conclusion.
“I really dislike the idea of a cul-de-sac,” Councillor Veintimilla emphasized. “Especially for those four or five people in the north end; what are they going to do with their garbage bins?”
Veintimilla also brought forward one resident’s idea from her conversations.
“This is his idea and not mine,” she said, “Why don’t we turn it into a one-way, and have people enter from down below?”
North exit of Gala Park Laneway.
Town of Oliver photo
Councillor Mattes wondered not just about improvements, but the overall condition of the Gala Park lane.
“What we should be looking at is putting some money into improving that laneway,” Mattes said. “The lane’s in terrible shape, let’s be honest about it. It’s in horrible condition.
“Maybe there is a way the road can be re-aligned at the far end, to improve the sightlines.”
Cost efficiency was one more aspect of the discussion surrounding whether or not a turn-around would make sense.
“I think a turn-around is a solution, but it would be a lot more costly,” Mayor Johansen stated. “I think we can do something here for a lot less than the cost of a turn-around.
“We do need some more information.”
Other ideas pitched by Council included widening the lane to accommodate vehicles passing by each other, and to add speed-reduction measures such as a speed bump to the lane.
The motion to refer the matter back to staff for further study was made by Councillor Mattes, and was carried.
