Squamish drivers may soon need to put on the brakes.
In a news release, the District of Squamish says it’s launching the first phase of public engagement to examine the potential for speed limit reductions on municipal roads, in hopes of improving road safety for all users.
“The District is seeking feedback from residents of all ages, neighbourhoods and transportation preferences to understand the areas of concern related to traffic speeds,” reads the release.
“This preliminary input will help better understand speed related perceptions and concerns by all road users – people walking, cycling, rolling and driving. This feedback will help guide the District’s overall approach to considering speed limit changes in Squamish.”
Locals can submit feedback through an online mapping tool at letstalksquamish.ca/speedlimits, which is open until Monday, April 8, and point out areas of high vehicle speeds.
Additionally, those who want to submit feedback in person to staff can attend an event at The 55 Activity Centre from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 21. A map will be available to point out areas where vehicle speed is a concern. The map will also stay at the centre until April 8.
In addition to that public engagement, Mayor Armand Hurford was joined by the Squamish RCMP’s Virginia Bessette at a community drop-in chat on Wednesday, March 20, in council chambers, which The Squamish Chief attended.
Several Squamish residents joined the session, as did numerous District staff. Topics discussed included bicycle lanes and safety, parking, and speeding in certain areas. Bessette said the RCMP usually focused on education when it came to traffic safety enforcement, typically handing out verbal warnings first.
A couple of speeding zones were discussed, such as Third Avenue near Westwinds, Loggers Lane in front of Brennan Park, and Westway Avenue. Some solutions were proposed, such as signs with lights or speed bumps to notify drivers of speed limits.
Notably, a District staff member, Dora Gunn, said Third Avenue was being potentially looked at to extend and connect with Buckley Avenue, so no immediate changes like speed bumps were in the works. However, Gunn also noted reducing speed limits is a fairly low-cost way to improve road safety.
The news release from the District said a report by the National Association of City Transportation Officials states that vehicle speed is correlated with whether a person will survive an accident.
Converting the report into kilometres per hour, the District said a pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling 50 km/h only has a 50% chance of severe injury or death, whereas if the car was travelling 30 km/h then there is only a 15% chance.
