After spending six million dollars improving the highway along the shoreline of Yellow Lake, local outdoor groups have discovered that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure plan to limit access to the popular fishing lake by erecting concrete barriers at the two pullouts between the paved parking areas at either end of the lake.
While we understand the efforts of the ministry in wishing to improve safety and vehicle flow by limiting access, we have to agree with the recreation groups who wonder why they would limit access to Yellow Lake in this way.
For ease of fishing use, the lake has no equal in the South Okanagan - Similkameen. It’s importance to casual fishermen as a lake that can be successfully fished from shore makes it popular with locals and visitors alike, and a major part of that attraction is the access currently provided not only by the pullouts at either end of the lake, but by the mid point ones as well.
If it is safety the ministry is looking at, then make left turns illegal along the shore. Motorists could then use the pullout at the south end of the lake to turn around, and traffic would then move in and out of the mid point pullouts in one direction.
After all, a major reason behind the highway upgrade was to improve safety for recreational users of the lake. By limiting access, there will be increased pedestrian traffic along the shoulder of the road, as well as limited access for those with mobility issues.
It’s hard to see how that could be a safety improvement.