Highlands residents along Millstream Lake and Ross Durrance roads could soon be getting some relief from speeding drivers, as the District eyes the installation of speed readers.
“Council has moved its priorities up on this whole issue,” Mayor Ken Williams said. “Speed readers are effective in telling people how fast they’re going. To the people who do ignore the signs, they should be warned that they’re being watched. We want everyone to think safety and slow down.”
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During the last five years, Highlands residents say the roads have become dangerous due to an increase in traffic, with drivers routinely going 25 to 30 kilometres over the posted 25 km/h speed limit, as well as aggressive drivers using Millstream Lake and Ross Durrance roads as short cuts. Some residents have had threatening interactions with drivers as well.
In the summer, residents fed up with the situation circulated a petition, calling on the municipality to implement traffic calming measure, which garnered 72 signatures.
Since then, Williams said speeding in the district has become a top priority. In recent months, the District has conducted a traffic study, and will be investigating accident records through ICBC – information that will be presented during a committee of the whole meeting likely in the new year.
Williams said the District will also be looking at potentially installing speed readers as a way of collecting data on how fast people are going and peak times of congestion.
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Williams was also one of several mayors from Greater Victoria who met with Transporation Minister Claire Trevena and MLA Mitzi Dean last week to find solutions to get traffic moving on the Trans-Canada Highway. Fixing congestion on the TCH will help roads in the Highlands, Williams noted.
“We’re doing everything we can think of … This problem isn’t just Ross Durrance Road, it involves the whole municipality,” he said. “We want to make the Trans-Canada Highway a more viable and faster way of moving so people aren’t trying to squeeze through very rural communities and putting pressure on roads that should never have that kind of traffic on them.”