Passing lanes on Highway 5 near Darfield, north of Kamloops. (Photo via BC Government)
The Mayor of Barriere says work will be getting underway within the next few months to crack down on speeding and dangerous driving on the Yellowhead Highway north of Kamloops.
Following a call with BC’s Transportation Minister and Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell, Mayor Ward Stamer says alarming data was shared regarding traffic on BC Highway 5.
“In the last three months, I believe 2,440 tickets were handed out, and 1,560 were speeding tickets alone, which is just a staggering number, so they are going to have to keep the enforcement up.”
Stamer says the minister highlighted short-term improvements taking place over the next few months to help address the dangerous driving situation on the Yellowhead.
“They’re going to reintroduce the rumble strips along the center lines. That way, if the trucks end up getting over to the center line, they’re going to feel the vibration that’s going to pull the trucks back into their lane,” he said.
“They’re going to be looking at putting up some more signs that they’ve taken down in the past, showing corners are coming up and that you should be slowing down.”
Additionally, Stamer says the province will be installing flashing lights along the highway.
“They’re going to be doing one in Fishtrap Canyon, and three or four in the winter. They’ll also be doing one down at Purcha Corner, just south of Little Fort,” he said. “They will be repaving that real rough piece by the watering hole, which is about halfway between Darfield and Barriere; that will be done this year.”
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As for some long-term improvements, Stamer says the province is looking at doing the engineering for a variable-speed corridor, which, if successful, could come to fruition by early spring 2024.
Additionally, Stamer says there were other initiatives he and Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell brought up, including mandatory dash cams.
“He (Minister Rob Fleming) is still thinking about that. They’re looking at the legislation and considering what we can do. We’ve got the BC Chamber of Commerce on board now supporting that initiative, so that’s good news,” he said.
“We’re also trying to keep the pedal to the metal on some of the other things that we need. We need more passing lanes, and we need more infrastructure spending on the highway, so that was productive as well.”
