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We can’t engineer impatience

Re: “Horgan: Upgrades near for Sooke Road,” Jan. 17. I moved to Sooke in 1990. At the time, Sooke Road (Highway 14) was a quiet rural road with a speed limit of 50 km/h.

Re: “Horgan: Upgrades near for Sooke Road,” Jan. 17.

I moved to Sooke in 1990. At the time, Sooke Road (Highway 14) was a quiet rural road with a speed limit of 50 km/h. The four-lane “Sookahalla” section was under construction and eventually got an 80-km/h limit.

Then came photo radar. There was a general agreement that you could go 10 over the limit and not get caught. Drivers grumbled, but it was livable.

When photo radar was withdrawn, I kept to 10 over, but others went to 20 or more over the limit. A letter to the Sooke Mirror at the time complained of seniors holding up traffic by driving under the speed limit — did they mean me?

Later, two things happened: Cheap land in Sooke generated a building boom, adding to the traffic, and then vehicle technology changed, greatly increasing engine power and improving handling characteristics. These coincided to give the current battle of the rush hours.

I moved into town a few years ago, but, yes, the road does need more passing lanes and no, accidents will not decrease, because as the speed limit is raised, drivers will still go 20 or 30 over whatever it is.

We can engineer roads and vehicles, but we can’t engineer impatience. That is what kills, not the curves in the road.

Joe Harvey

Victoria