The site of a recent death on the Trans-Canada Highway is likely to be the scene of many more.

This is the opinion of Joe Veldhoen, who lives on 10th Avenue NE near the 38th Street entrance where 79-year-old Rudolf Gross was killed at 6:20 p.m. Oct. 16.

Police report that a white Ford Topaz, driven by Gross, tried to cross northbound over the highway and collided with an eastbound Dodge pickup truck. 

"It's a wonder there hasn't been more fatalities because there have been a lot of accidents already," says Veldhoen, a retired firefighter. "At certain times of the day when the sun is setting, you can't see what's coming."

Veldhoen says many people try to save time getting to town by exiting Hwy 97B at 10th and travelling west along the frontage road to 38th Street, where they have to cross over the highway at an uncontrolled intersection.

As well, he notes, people living on the north side of the highway near the new GM dealership must cross the highway to the south side to get their mail.

All of this in a highway zone where the speed limit is 90 km/h.

Veldhoen considers this to be ludicrous when left-hand turns off the highway to access the RCMP detachment at the top of Tank Hill are not permitted – and the speed limit is 70 km/h.

He says that when Ministry of Transportation reps were in town in the '90s buying land for highway improvements, he was told an underpass-overpass would be built.

He is angry that instead, the people of Salmon Arm get another level intersection, and a dangerous one at that.

"The whole thing is ridiculous. You don't have to be a traffic engineer to see the problems" he says. "Victoria probably has never been out here to see what they're doing. It's just ridiculous the way things are being dealt with in this town."

But Jeff Knight, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, says the ministry has not seen the accident report.

"The ministry will be raising the issue of this particular intersection and the traffic using it for discussion with the City of Salmon Arm at the next safety meeting," he says, noting staff from MOT's Salmon Arm office meet with the city on a quarterly basis. "No date has been set yet, but it will be coming up soon."