Fifteen accidents at Industrial Avenue and Main Street made it the city’s most danger intersection in 2013, according to new data from the Insurance Corporation of B.C.
The intersection of Channel Parkway and Fairview Road was second on ICBC’s annual list with 13 crashes, followed by the junctions of Duncan Avenue and Main Street, and Warren Avenue and Main Street, with 12 each.
Penticton RCMP spokesman Cpl. Martin Trudeau said there is nothing inherently dangerous about any of the roads on the list, but noted risk usually increases with traffic volume.
“An intersection is an intersection is an intersection. All intersections are safe, because they’re built according to code, they’ve got lights, all that kind of stuff,” Trudeau said.
“I think what makes it unsafe is how (busy) traffic will be at a particular intersection if there’s a mall nearby or that kind of stuff. So what makes it unsafe is not the intersection itself, it’s the people driving.”
There are no major businesses at Industrial and Main, although there is a gas station on one corner and two restaurants and plaza across the street.
Trudeau noted, however, that drivers approaching on Industrial Avenue are usually seeking access to arteries like Main Street or Highway 97 further west, “so it’s a lot of attraction for people.”
Teri Palmer, who works at a Subway restaurant with a view of the intersection, suggested the timing of traffic through the area could be improved to make it safer.
“The only thing is, the lights are too long. They switch when no one’s there, and I do see a lot of people running yellow lights, turning on a yellow,” she said.
“But I’ve worked here for a year and a half, all shifts, and I haven’t seen one accident.”
City of Penticton spokeswoman Simone Blais said municipal engineers receive bulk accident data from ICBC that covers more than just intersections and use it for broader planning purposes, rather than investigating what’s happening at whichever junction tops the annual crash list.
“Trends in this type of (intersection crash) data are difficult to manage, because there are a lot of factors that go into motor vehicle accidents,” said Blais.
“When you look at the public data, you’re seeing intersections on Main Street or Channel Parkway that have higher numbers, but those streets also have higher traffic volumes.”
Trudeau said the RCMP’s traffic section does, however, look at the numbers to help set its enforcement priorities.
“Every year in their safety plan they look at those intersections that cause the most accidents, and we’ll concentrate on those,” he said.
Summerland’s intersection of Highway 97 and Prairie Valley Road recorded 15 crashes in 2013, making it the most dangerous spot in that community.
To the south, the junctions of Main Street and Fairview Road in Oliver, and the intersection of Highways 97 and 3 in Osoyoos, topped the lists in those communities with six accidents each.
By comparison, the corner of Harvey Avenue and Spall Road recorded 95 crashes to make it the most dangerous spot in Kelowna, while the intersection of 32 Street and 43 Avenue in Vernon was tops there with 22 accidents
