For Colwood residents concerned about speeding and traffic volume in the city, relief could be on the horizon.
A Transportation Safety Initiatives Program, with an annual budget of $100,000, will help address the growing number of requests from residents for enhanced safety features and traffic calming measures, says the city.
“Believe me, this is the biggest complaint ... speeding and traffic, all throughout Colwood” said Mayor Doug Kobayashi at a Jan. 27 council meeting.
According to Joshua Baylis, manager of engineering, around 25 to 30 areas have been earmarked for consideration for mitigation, which will be organized by the city's matrix into a hierarchy of importance.
Among the projects currently under review is Cecil Blogg Drive, which Coun. Dean Jantzen flagged as a priority at the Jan. 27 meeting.
Explaining folks had reached out to him with their concerns about increased traffic and speeding on Cecil Blogg Drive, between Sooke Road and Jacklin Road, Janzten called for staff to take action in a “timely manner.”
“It is a cut-through for traffic that might be getting backed up on Sooke Road,” he said.
But Jantzen withdrew his motion when it was made clear Cecil Blogg Drive was already under consideration for traffic calming measures.
Other councillors also raised concerns about prioritizing Cecil Blogg Drive when speeding is an issue throughout the city.
“We’ve got problems all over the place,” said Mayor Doug Kobayashi, who sympathized with the concerns about Cecil Blogg Drive, describing speeding in the area as “fricking dangerous.”
“I would like to see the big picture,” he added, suggesting they look at all concerns fairly. “If we favour one area, I’m not going to hear the end of it.”
Extra enforcement by West Shore RCMP in the Cecil Blogg Drive area was one short-term solution suggested by Coun. Cynthia Day.
“Having a police car in the area does help,” she said.
It is anticipated more information about the Transportation Safety Initiatives Program will be presented back to council ‘sometime’ in the second quarter of the year. Projects selected as a priority by the program will require council approval before moving forward.
"The Colwood engineering team collects traffic data in various locations on an ongoing basis in response to requests from the community and to inform transportation plans and projects," said a city spokesperson.
"Traffic data is part of a matrix the team has created to ensure an equitable, community-wide approach to traffic calming. The matrix will be used to assess, prioritize, plan and guide neighbourhood traffic improvements."
