The City of Victoria announced this winter that it will seek the support of other B.C. municipalities to reduce the default speed limit on municipal roads to 40km/h.
In Saanich, 50 km/h is by far the most common speed limit. That’s because it’s the provincial default.
That makes it easy for the municipality, but it’s difficult to live with for the residents of neighbourhoods where 50 km/h is inappropriate.
Life outdoors on many residential streets has been made a lot less livable by an increased volume of vehicles moving at lethal speeds and creating noise levels that reduce the quality of life.
For some people who don’t live on these streets, the perception that there’s problem may not exist. I know it exists because I hear the complaints.
There are many questions to ask before the right decision can be made. It’s important that the end decision be the correct one.
Is it right to apply the same speed limit across an entire city? Probably not. Is it important to establish a lower default speed for residential streets? Yes.
Dave Ferguson
Community Advocates for Reduced Speed
Saanich