Correspondence from William Reid Re: Traffic on Upper Chilco Road

William Reid View Royal, BC, September 2, 2012

Town Council View Royal Town Hall 45 View Royal Avenue Victoria, BC V9B 1A6

Dear Council:

I am writing to express my concern about the dangers presented to citizens, in particular children and youth, on upper Chilco Road (from the entrance of the Plateau development to the new Summit development) due to the combination of heavier traffic from a greater number of residents and construction crews coupled with the incline as well as the width of the road which has led to higher vehicle speeds.

I appreciate from the View Royal town website that, “traffic safety and calming are considered a high priority by Council and staff is constantly seeking ways to address these very important issues. Local issues should be brought to the Town’s attention by way of written communication with the Engineering Department.”

Following on this stated priority and directive, we wrote to the Engineering department on July 10th of this year. It is our understanding that approval from Council is also a requirement.

As shown in the picture to the left, the portion of the road in question runs through a series of fronting family residences, many of which have young children, and with the road being commonly used by residents for walking as well as biking.

With a park that is heavily used being located on the portion of the road that borders between the Plateau and Summit developments, it is a common occurrence to find children playing throughout the day.

This park also fronts directly on the street and as such, always presents the possibility of a child running onto the thoroughfare.

The risks would be far less in the presence of traffic calming measures that help ensure lower vehicle speeds. In the absence of such mitigation, the situation is one of having ever more cars and trucks showing excessive speeds on a downward sloped road in an area that is used extensively by families and their children; and, that is rapidly growing in size with the Summit development consisting of an estimated 65 new homes.

It should also be noted that there is a precedent set by the Town, and of direct relevance to this request.

On the lower portion of Chilco Road, which is relatively flat and that runs through an area comprised of both fronting residential homes as well as a park, two speed bumps were installed. These are shown in the photograph to the left.

With Council having shown appropriate and commendable prudence for the safety of residents in Thetis Vale, does the situation outlined above in the Plateau development also not warrant the same?

I am looking forward to your response.

Sincerely,

William (Bill) Reid