McNeill Avenue needs traffic-calming devices

I applaud Victoria city council’s ambitious plan “to create a network of protected cycling lanes that are safe for cyclists of all ages and abilities.”

I noticed that one of these protected cycling lanes runs along Richardson Street and appears to begin and end at Foul Bay Road. I assume that the vast majority of cyclists heading east or west along this route will be entering or exiting on McNeill Avenue.

The cycling public needs to know that McNeill Avenue is a very busy road where drivers continuously exceed the posted 40 km/h speed limit. As a resident of Oak Bay who cycles this route regularly, I can attest that this combination of excessive speed, parked vehicles and a host of blind spots puts everyone unnecessarily at risk.

I am uncertain what plans, if any, Oak Bay council has to develop further protected cycling lanes, but unless some serious traffic-calming devices are put in place along McNeill Avenue, cyclists and the public are at risk.

To date, Oak Bay council has ignored a series of letters and petitions pleading for traffic-calming measures to improve public safety along McNeill Avenue. As a result of Victoria’s bike-lane plan, I am hopeful that the cycling public will be able to encourage Oak Bay council to act upon these necessary measures to ensure that Oak Bay is also safe for cyclists of all ages and abilities. D.J. Agar Oak Bay