Option 3 of the Shelbourne Valley Action Plan needs improvement. For a good decision, Saanich council needs sound information in a plan that can be effectively implemented, with a positive impact.
Shelbourne collects and distributes daily traffic (much of it regional) to numerous local destinations (not a corridor).
The current plan provides some relief, but not the long-term results promised in 2009.
A good fit is needed between the characteristics of Shelbourne Street and the public good. Improved traffic flow (all modes) needs integration with the land-use plan.
Widening the current four-lane roadway will make Shelbourne similar to the Blanshard arterial. Why?
An effective action plan will provide large incremental benefits with small incremental costs — made possible by removing one lane, and reallocating under-utilized space for cyclists and pedestrians.
If there is no overall improvement at an acceptable cost, then why the plan?
Traffic safety, not mobility, must be the Saanich priority.
A quality Shelbourne Valley Action Plan will deliver:
• a well-informed diagnosis of the traffic problem to solve;
• before and after performance measures for all forms of mobility;
• performance ratios that quantify underutilized space, for reallocation to cyclists and pedestrians;
• where it makes sense to favour mobility over access, and where it does not;
• the roadway design with the fewest traffic conflict points (potential for crashes).
The best decision-makers have foresight. Will anyone consider the smarter, safer, computer-driven (driverless) cars, sure to arrive within 10 years?
Ray Travers
Victoria
