Remains of Red Bridge in Kamloops following September 19, 2024 suspected arson/via Government of BC
As the first week of commuting gets underway in Kamloops without the Red Bridge, the idea of increasing transit to ease traffic bottlenecks is being floated by the current Deputy Mayor.
Councillor Stephen Karpuk, Deputy mayor for September, suggests discussions are likely to be held with BC Transit, as well as business owners around the North Shore Exchange — specifically the Northills Shopping Centre — about potentially creating a park-and-ride option.
“I think we’ll have some background discussions going forward, and if it needs something with a council resolution, we have our Tuesday meeting coming up,” noted Karpuk. “It’s not obviously something, we’d snap our fingers… this is going to require not just the province and our staff, but perhaps some of the ownership group around the North Shore Exchange,” Karpuk suggested.
Karpuk says a similar model, which could include more frequent, direct buses to the downtown of Kamloops during the commute times, could also be established at the TRU exchange.
The destruction of the Red Bridge last week by a suspected arsonist or arsonists has meant that 7,000 to 8,000 vehicle trips per day are being routed to either the Overlanders or Halston Bridges.
“It definitely seems to be something we should be looking into, because if we can take that many people and get them on a bus and get them downtown, that will ease some of our congestion,” said Karpuk.
The City has already begun adjusting traffic light patterns to try ease congestion on the feeder routes to the Halston and Overlanders.
Karpuk suggests any establishment of a park-and-ride option on the North Shore and TRU could be a catalyst for a further expansion of transit services in Kamloops.
“Maybe that will be a good stimulus to something we look forward to, increasing our bus capacity and service extent throughout the city. Maybe it will be a pilot project,” suggested Karpuk. “We’re going to have to work on that. Like the traffic lights, it’s going to take a little bit of time,” he cautioned.
This weekend saw the City of Kamloops close the beach at Riverside Park due to concerns about debris from the remains of the Red Bridge.
Kamloops RCMP have determined in their preliminary investigation that last Thursday’s fire is likely an arson.
So far no suspects have been identified, with the Mounties asking for any dash cam, witnesses or other video coverage of the Red Bridge area at around 3am on Thursday morning to be brought forward.
