Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes is proposing a pilot project that would lower the speed limit to 40 km/h from 50 km/h on all of the municipality’s residential roads — defined as those without a yellow centre line.
Haynes will ask council to endorse the plan at its meeting on Monday, so the district can apply to the province for permission to launch the project under the Motor Vehicle Act.
“As we know, there’s been some very sad cases of road accidents in our residential areas from poor driving behaviours that, I believe, would be addressed through a pilot project lowering our road speeds to 40 km/h,” he said in an interview.
Saanich council wrote to Premier John Horgan last year to request a review of the default speed limits in the Motor Vehicle Act.
In her response last month, Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said that amending the statutory speed limits in the law would “represent a significant policy and regulatory shift that would affect all road users.”
She pointed out, however, that government recently amended the Motor Vehicle Act to allow for pilot projects that research, test and evaluate new regulatory approaches. And she indicated her ministry’s willingness to work with “interested municipalities to lower the default speed limit on their streets.”
Haynes said the invitation represents the perfect opportunity for Saanich to explore the idea of reducing residential speed limits to 40 km/h and he wants council to write other municipalities, asking them to join the project.
“I think if we could take it on as a region or a collective of municipalities — if not the entire 13, but a substantial number — it will be a very effective way of showing leadership on road safety.”
Haynes said the region already demonstrates leadership on a number of other issues, including climate change, transportation and housing.
“And this is another piece, because road safety is something that engages every single member of our council.”
In his draft letter to the other mayors, Haynes notes that his municipality — like many others — has a large number of residential roads.
“Many of these are without sidewalks and it is simply inappropriate for a driver to legally operate their vehicle at 50 km/h with children walking and cycling on the same road,” he writes.
“While it is technically and legally possible to create bylaws and install signage on each of these roads, it would be far easier to update the MVA and begin a cultural shift that prioritizes safety, over speeding, on roads that should place families and our most vulnerable users first.”
