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Commuter alert: West Shore Parks and Rec closes access to Island Highway during rush hours

Exit closed from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. on weekdays
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West Shore commuters who use Island Highway to get to work might see their morning rush hour traffic worsen, starting Tuesday, Nov. 5.

West Shore Parks and Recreation will be closing their Island Highway exit from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on weekdays only.

“We’re closing just the exit from the library end because people cut through the back side of the property and use it as a shortcut to the highway,” said Simon Miles, communications for West Shore Parks and Rec.

“We’ve tried in the past to ‘man’ the intersection and talk to drivers about the exit to deter them from using it, but it hasn’t worked well.”

READ MORE: The pool is going to the dogs at West Shore Parks and Recreation

A driver was clocked speeding through the rec centre at 60 km/hr in what is supposed to be a 20 km/hr zone last week, according to Miles.

Since the McKenzie interchange construction first began in Sept. 2016, various routes in Greater Victoria have been affected. Island Highway is one of many routes that have resulted in heavier amounts of morning traffic and frustrated drivers.

Miles says he doesn’t know how much of a solution the exit closure will offer but hopes it will mitigate the number of drivers that use their parking lot to cut corners. The closure isn’t permanent. It will be tested for a trial period, of which length is yet to be determined.

“We understand that this will inconvenience patrons, but we encourage commuters to leave a little earlier to anticipate the congestion.”

aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com


@iaaronguillen
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