Saanich to send letter to Horgan seeking road-safety improvements

Saanich council plans to send a letter to Premier John Horgan asking for amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to improve road safety.

While it stops short of asking for lower speed limits, the letter links “outdated statutory speed limits” with “unacceptable fatalities, collisions and serious injury rates.”

Prior to Monday’s council meeting where the letter was approved, Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes said he would like to see a 40-kilometre-per-hour default speed limit for residential areas in B.C. But in the end, council decided to make its request more open-ended.

“What we are saying is we want to see [the Motor Vehicle Act] reviewed and we anticipate that residential road speeds will be lowered,” Haynes said. “And my personal preference would be to see it at 40.”

Default speed limits in residential areas in B.C. are 50 km/h unless otherwise posted. Municipalities in B.C. can set lower limits, but it’s a timeconsuming process and must be done by passing bylaws defining speed limits street by street.

The Union of B.C. Municipalities has asked the province to allow local governments to establish their own speed limits that would apply to wider areas, but the province has said it is reluctant to see the creation of a patchwork of speed limits.

In its letter, Saanich council says “the current piecemeal nature in which speed limits are being lowered lacks consistency, effectiveness and safety,” adding: “More cost-effective, consistent and safer solutions rest with changes that can be made through the Motor Vehicle Act.”

Saanich plans to copy its letter to all B.C. mayors and the president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in an emailed statement that it will review legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks, including the Motor Vehicle Act, to “acknowledge all road users and emerging active transportation modes.”

“We are committed to keeping our roads safe for all road users — including pedestrians — and speed limits play an important role,” said the ministry.