We are often approached by residents that are frustrated with motorists speeding through their neighbourhoods.
In last Friday’s edition we heard from a Highlands resident that’s so frustrated with the problem she has started an online petition to get some action. In today’s paper we have a letter from another Highlands resident that elaborates on the concerns that many in the area are feeling (see page A9).
This summer we’ve also heard from a number of Colwood residents in the Esquimalt Lagoon area.
We understand the frustrations from both sides – those who want to feel safe while walking in their neighbourhood and those who want to get from point A to point B without sitting in traffic.
No one likes to being stuck in traffic and as the West Shore continues to grow our local municipalities are working hard to try to keep road networks up to the demand. Unfortunately, there are a few areas on the West Shore that have fallen behind the times.
Some of that is out of our local municipalities’ control, with a number of local roads under provincial jurisdiction. It often comes down to budget constraints as well but local politicians have been doing a good job of tying needed improvements into development applications as a way to get the work done.
The City of Colwood, for example, is trying to find a balance that will please both residents and motorists with improvements that are due to start next month on Metchosin Road. If successful, this work will mostly be funded by grants.
But this roadway has been a controversial topic of late with vehicles speeding through the extended 30 km/h zone. Others bypass that area and speed through the surrounding neighbourhoods. It’s a problem that’s not unique to that area or Colwood.
But the safety of all road users should always be paramount. With September just around the corner we hope that all West Shore residents re-evaluate their driving habits and show each other a little more courtesy on the road.
If not, we hope more people will at the very least slow down in school and playground zones. There will be a lot of excited children running around in the coming weeks and drivers need to be extra vigilant. It could mean the difference between life and death.