Drivers on Saanich roads will soon have to lay off the gas pedal as speed limits within the districtB次元官网网址檚 borders could be reduced starting this spring.
Council voted unanimously to lower speed limits along nine priority corridors at a meeting Monday (March 13), after directing staff to evaluate those corridors last July.
A staff report at the time said that a person hit by car going 56 kilometres per hour is five times more likely to die than someone hit by one going just 32 km/h.
B次元官网网址淲e are moving towards eliminating serious injury and fatalities on our roads,B次元官网网址� said Mayor Dean Murdock. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 more work to be done in terms of education and road design work that will come over time, but this is a very important step in a positive direction.B次元官网网址�
Speed will be limited to 40 km/h on Gorge Road West, Tillicum Road, Saanich Road and the entire seaside route from Cadboro Bay Road to Cordova Bay Road, while the speed limit on PKOLS/Mount Douglas ParkB次元官网网址檚 summit road will be lowered to 25 km/h.
The default speed limit for municipal streets in the province is 50 km/h.
A 40 km/h speed limit will also be observed along Cedar Hill Cross Road, where 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was killed in a marked crosswalk in December 2021.
Murdock said the municipalityB次元官网网址檚 recent efforts to have speed limits reduced have largely been in response to the teenagerB次元官网网址檚 death just over a year ago.
B次元官网网址淩educing speeds does save lives, but you need to pair it with education, traffic calming and enforcement,B次元官网网址� said Coun. Teale Phelps Bondaroff. B次元官网网址淎nd Saanich is doing that B次元官网网址� we have our road safety plan and a host of education programs, which is part of a broader suite of policies that Saanich is taking.B次元官网网址�
District staff looked at the distances between road users and the presence of vulnerable road users, as well as the density of potential roadway conflict areas to determine suitable changes to speed limits.
The changes are expected to go into effect beginning in April, according to staff.
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