A wide Penticton intersection got a safety boost and renewed vibrancy on Saturday, June 1 after several dozen members of the community gathered to complete a street painting project.
Light rain didn鈥檛 stop people of all ages from getting creative with paintbrushes at Nanaimo Avenue and Ellis Street as part of the city鈥檚 Friendly Streets Initiative.
Saturday鈥檚 display of community spirit follows an event in early May, when 17 students from KVR Middle School painted murals on a section of Jermyn Avenue, with community safety on top of mind.
Kristen Dixon, the city鈥檚 general manager of infrastructure, said Saturday the community鈥檚 efforts will make the 鈥渦nnecessarily wide鈥� intersection of Nanaimo and Ellis safer by reducing the pedestrian crosswalk distance and encouraging lower speeds on the road.
鈥淲hen roads are really wide, it encourages higher speeds, so by painting it out and shrinking the road, it will reinforce that this is a 30 km/h [zone],鈥� Dixon said, adding that Saturday鈥檚 project was not only a cost-effective way of making the downtown area safer, but a way to bring people together.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually a transportation safety project, but we also wanted to engage the community.鈥�
The street painting project featured live music from Ari Neufeld provided by the Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association, and a barbecue by donation at the nearby Elks Lodge.
Penticton鈥檚 ongoing Friendly Streets Initiative happens as the city gears up to make 30 km/h speed limits permanent in school zones 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Council recently approved the changes 鈥� to be implemented ahead of the
