Birch Street residents are petitioning for a lower speed limit not just for their street, but all residential streets around town.
In a letter to Campbell River city council, Lesley Hoyt – who lives in the 600-block – says she and her neighbours have noticed a “considerable increase in vehicle traffic and the speed in which they travel.”
“We mean not only fast in the legal speed sense, but in the moral, safe sense. Our street has no sidewalks, no centre line, and vehicles parked on both sides of the street.”
The current speed limit on parts of Birch Street is 50 km/hr, which she notes “is the same as it is on sections of Highway 19A.”
For Hoyt, this doesn’t make sense.
“We propose the City lower the speed limit on all residential areas to 30 km/hr, instead of just selected neighborhoods, such as Murphy Street.”
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“We know several other Island municipalities are lowering limits… Saanich is considering lowering theirs to 30 km/hr.”
Hoyt says it’s even more of an issue now because Campbell River is growing. She says growth means more traffic and more distracted drivers.
“Covid also plays a role here with increased speeding and more aggressive driving,” she explains. “Losing control of a vehicle for just a fraction of a second is all it takes for a disaster to happen.”
With this in mind, Hoyt says “drivers need to slow down.”
And while thanking council in advance for taking the time to address these concerns (Hoyt’s letter is on council’s May 10th agenda), she’s also attached a list of people from her block – along with their signatures – who agree with the proposal.
“We believe many residents in other neighborhoods would agree to having a reduction in speed limits,” Hoyt adds.
