Having travelled the Pat Bay Highway from Victoria to Swartz Bay on a regular basis for the past 28 years, I have noticed an insidious yet, over time, dramatic increase in traffic along this route.
Probable causes include the steady rate of private housing and commercial development on the Saanich Peninsula, as well as the general population increase of the Greater Victoria region. Upgrades to the highway are not keeping pace with the volume of traffic using the highway, resulting in congestion on a more frequent basis, specifically near Sayward Road during evening rush hour.
My concern is that the various levels of government responsible are not being proactive to ensure the Saanich Snarl does not eventually become comparable to its infamous cousin, the Colwood Crawl.
Wayne Neumann
Victoria
