Streets Bylaw No. 980, 2019, Amendment Bylaw No. 1159, 2025 (Staff Report)

STREETS BYLAW NO. 980, 2019, AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 1159, 2025

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Streets Bylaw No. 980, 2019, Amendment No. 1159, 2025 be given first, second and third reading;

AND THAT upon adoption of Amendment No. 1159, 2025, that the administration of the existing Traffic Calming Policy 5200-016 be deferred until an update to the policy is approved by Council.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Option #2: The Committee can direct staff to make adjustments to Amendment No. 1159. However, this is not recommended until the Transportation Master Plan is completed.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to introduce to the proposed changes to Streets Bylaw No. 980, 2019 (“Bylaw 980”), pursuant to Council item C-119-24:

“THAT a new Speed Bylaw be drafted.”

Whereby the new Speed Bylaw would:

1. Restrict speed limits on all residential roads to 30km/hr; and
2. Restrict the speed limit on the Island Highway, from Admirals Road to the Island Highway/Burnside Road intersection (colloquially known as the “Colwood Interchange”) to 40km/hr.

BACKGROUND:

The default speed limit for municipal streets in British Columbia is 50km/h, as regulated by the Motor Vehicle Act (Section 146). However, Section 146 of the Motor Vehicle Act does allow provisions for municipalities to direct the rate of speed on its roadways, which must be done by bylaw.

ANALYSIS:

The proposed Amendment Bylaw No. 1159 exercises the Town’s right to lower speed limits on its roadways in accordance with the provisions set in the Motor Vehicle Act. Amending street or traffic regulation bylaws is the recommended approach to directing the rate of speed on municipal roadways, and is commonly done by other municipalities within the Greater Victoria area to enforce speeds in an efficient manner.

The proposed bylaw will have implications to administering Traffic Calming Policy 5200-016, notably the increase in expected public complaints and the unreasonableness of the speed threshold action points at which traffic calming may be eligible for residential streets. As a result, staff will be presenting to Council recommended changes to Traffic Calming Policy 5200-016 later this year to manage expectations, align with best practices, and align with current levels of service. In the meantime, staff would administer the current policy on a case-by-case basis until a revised version of the Traffic Calming Policy is adopted by Council.

Other impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

Levels of Service Impact:

Impacts to level of service are twofold:

1. Staffing resources: staff anticipate an increase in complaints, which has been indicative of other municipalities. The current traffic calming policy cannot be administered reasonably: as a result staff will be presenting to Council recommended changes in late 2025.
2. RCMP Resources: moving vehicle violations are administered by the RCMP. It is expected that the RCMP will be required to field more complaints as a result. Doing so will impact the RCMP’s ability to enforce more roadways unless their level of service is increased. That said, the engagement process with the RCMP have indicated their commitment to enforcing Amendment Bylaw 1159 to the best of their ability.

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

[X] Inform [ ] Consult [ ] Involve [ ] Collaborate [ ] Empower [ ] N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

Should third reading be approved by Council, street signage indicative of the speed limit changes will be installed and bagged (and revealed upon bylaw adoption). The Town has a capital project to do such installations this year as part of the 2025-2029 Financial Plan.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Speed Limit Map
2. Amendment Bylaw 1159 – A Bylaw to Amend the Streets Bylaw 980, 2019 to Reduce Speed Limits on Town Roadways