Livable Roads for Rural Saanich greatly appreciates the editorial interest taken by Saanich News in the issues of safety and livability on our rural roads (Saanich must map out solution for rural roads, June 8).
We would like to make one small but significant correction. We cannot include West Saanich Road as one of our areas of interest. Years ago significant portions of this major road were upgraded in width, given some protections for vulnerable users, with speed limits reasonably appropriate for the traffic traveling on the road. West Saanich is in fact one of the only two designated truck routes in Rural Saanich (the other being Pat Bay Highway).
However, the roads on which LRRS has representation – Prospect Lake, Goward, and Sparton Roads, the southern portion of Old West Saanich and Oldfield Road within Saanich – are very different. They have none of those engineered features which would make them more appropriate for the traffic they are now carrying. They are essentially residential and farm roads, unchanged since they were built many decades ago. In many places the only change is pavement on a narrow, winding, hilly surface, with no separation from traffic and poor sight lines.
Nonetheless, these roads are valuable as built and should by and large remain unchanged for the benefit of all. They are historic corridors contributing to the rural characteristics of this part of Saanich.
What we do need are robust traffic calming initiatives in order that these roads can be enjoyed safely by all: shared with residents and vulnerable users by appropriate traffic at appropriate speeds.
Pam Harrison
Livable Roads for Rural Saanich