West Kelowna council is looking at dropping the speed limit on Gellatly Road.
A report going to council on July 8 recommends reducing the speed from 50 km/h to 40 km/h between Boucherie Road and Gellatly Road South.
That route gives locals and visitors access to parks, beaches, trails, the boat launch at the West Kelowna Yacht Club, and the historic CNR Wharf.
City staff say the current speed limit doesn’t reflect how the road is actually used. On-street parking, playgrounds, bike routes, and high foot traffic make the area more like a community hub than a typical arterial road.
A recent review by a third-party traffic consultant backs that up. It found the existing playground signs advising 30 km/h aren't enforceable by police and don't meet national guidelines, which recommend against placing playground zones on major roads.
The consultant recommends replacing them with regular black-and-white signs showing a 40 km/h speed limit, a change that would allow for proper enforcement.
If council gives the go-ahead, the new signs would go up later this year, at a cost of about $10,000 from the city's existing signage budget.
City staff are also planning to review other areas in West Kelowna where similar advisory signs are currently used. Future recommendations for enforceable speed limits in those areas will be brought to council in a separate report.
