North Okanagan roads are getting a bumpy ride.
Of the top 10 spots in the B.C. Automobile Association’s B.C.’s Worst Roads survey, five of them are held by local roads or separate stretches of the same routes.
Leading the pack in first was Silver Star Road, from Greenway Road to the resort.
“Something needs to be done,” said Brad Baker, Silver Star Mountain Resort operations manager.
The primary complaint is potholes and crumbling pavement.
“From Greenway Road to the first switchback, you’d probably be better to have a gravel surface,” said Baker.
“It’s not the surface you expect to have a multi-million-dollar resort at the end of.”
Coming up second in the survey was Westside Road because of poor surface conditions near Attenborough Road. Westside Road, 17 kilometres north of the Kelowna bridge, was named fourth worst while in ninth, was Westside Road at Chief Saddleman Road.
“I admit parts of the road are not good and need to be improved but I have been talking to the Ministry of Transportation,” said Jim Edgson, North Westside director.
“There is definitely a plan in place and improvements will occur. I will encourage them (ministry) to continue with their plans.”
In third place on the BCAA list was Cosens Bay Road, which goes through Coldstream and Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, which is in the electoral area.
The main complaint from survey participants was pedestrian and cycling safety.
“That road is not in bad shape,” said Bob Fleming, Cosens Bay director, when he heard the results.
Fleming has worked at the Cosens Bay cabin colony recently and has seen road graders.
“I’ve been fairly impressed with the condition of the road. It’s narrow but for this time of the year, it’s well maintained,” he said.
Rounding out BCAA’s top 10 list was Richmond’s George Massey tunnel (5), Victoria’s Mackenzie Avenue (6), Surrey’s Patullo Bridge (7), Maple Crescent in Maple Ridge (8) and the Island Highway in Malahat (10).
