photo: dangerous pedestrian crossing at Pat Bay Hwy and Vernon Ave
TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION
see also Uptown transit hub
see also Uptown transit hub
![Picture](/uploads/2/7/3/6/27368743/editor/saanich-road.jpg?1669318313)
Safe Passing Distance Law
School Districts all across BC want healthier and more active students. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by getting more children and families to walk and bike to school.
However, few roads in our province have bike lanes or shoulders, and many do not even have sidewalks, forcing people on bikes and on foot to share the road with high-speed motor vehicle traffic. This has sadly led to injuries and deaths of many young people, who were just on their way to school.
British Columbia New rules for safe driving begin June 3, 2024. Drivers must:
- Always take proper precautions around cyclists, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users on a public road
- Keep a safe distance when passing vulnerable road users see BC government website
Parking
The system of complaint-driven parking enforcement is not sufficient to the changing needs
of Saanich urban areas. The street parking problem is cumulative and wide spread.
Sending specific issues to the Administrative Traffic Committee (ATC) will not be enough.
MVCCA requests the regulation of street parking limits via parking meters where needed.
A system of fines would pay for itself.
Speed Reduction Project see Saanich Vision Zero for speed limit change timeline
Traffic and Parking Issues
Traffic remains a major concern for residents in the MVCCA catchment area. As the region as a whole undergoes a period of densification and transition stemming from the Regional Growth and Sustainability strategies, it makes sense to attend to the quality of life of residents in existing residential communities. Quiet, green space and physical safety are important contributors to citizen well being. It makes sense, therefore, to develop policies that optimize such values.
The congestion on major roads encourage attempts to find short cuts through our community. Increased traffic volume frequently takes place on narrow residential streets without sidewalks, such as: Cadillac, Seaton, Dumeresq, Whiteside and several others. Pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter users—most often children or elderly residents—are required to negotiate around parked vehicles while sharing the street with cars fast moving cars.
Moreover the grid lock volumes of traffic by commuting vehicles during the afternoon rush hours of Burnside Road West, Interurban and Tillicum, makes the egress of residential vehicles from the side streets extremely difficult. One such example is Arlene Place, which exits onto McKenzie Avenue. They have documented their problem on a YouTube video taken by a drone. See Arlene Place traffic problem
Below: The street parking in front of the Mt. View Park is not used by park visitors, it is filled with the cars of people who live or work near by.
Traffic remains a major concern for residents in the MVCCA catchment area. As the region as a whole undergoes a period of densification and transition stemming from the Regional Growth and Sustainability strategies, it makes sense to attend to the quality of life of residents in existing residential communities. Quiet, green space and physical safety are important contributors to citizen well being. It makes sense, therefore, to develop policies that optimize such values.
The congestion on major roads encourage attempts to find short cuts through our community. Increased traffic volume frequently takes place on narrow residential streets without sidewalks, such as: Cadillac, Seaton, Dumeresq, Whiteside and several others. Pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter users—most often children or elderly residents—are required to negotiate around parked vehicles while sharing the street with cars fast moving cars.
Moreover the grid lock volumes of traffic by commuting vehicles during the afternoon rush hours of Burnside Road West, Interurban and Tillicum, makes the egress of residential vehicles from the side streets extremely difficult. One such example is Arlene Place, which exits onto McKenzie Avenue. They have documented their problem on a YouTube video taken by a drone. See Arlene Place traffic problem
Below: The street parking in front of the Mt. View Park is not used by park visitors, it is filled with the cars of people who live or work near by.
Ravine Way Changes June 2024
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Dep't of Transportation
gov.bc.ca/highway17ravineway The main change to road traffic is that they propose a one-half block of Ravine Way (by Tim Hortons) to become one way (west), changing the way cars from Carey area can get to the Pat Bay Hwy.(east). Cars coming out of Saanich Plaza in the middle of Ravine Way will not be able to turn left. The section closed become a bus-only lane, with a bus stop mid block. |
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This is the letter sent by MVCCA in response to the information provided link