Letter to the editor

Saanich’s Road Safety Action Plan – A message to our community

Our neighborhoods are the places where we put down roots and build a life. They’re places where we see friends and familiar faces and create daily routines. We travel through these spaces daily — whether it’s to run errands, get ourselves to work or take our children to school or the park. We regularly trace the same streets and pathways, and this should feel safe and comfortable for everyone.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the reality — and we know there is more work to be done to improve safety and instill confidence in people who are navigating our roadways. More than 40% of the 11,000 reported crashes in Saanich between 2017 and 2021 resulted in an injury or fatality. The impacts of these incidents on victims, their families, and their communities can be significant and long-lasting.

We’re committed to making our roads safer for everyone to get around. That means prioritizing infrastructure improvements on our high-risk crossings and corridors, better road design, setting appropriate speeds, and increasing enforcement. These priority actions will make it easier and safer for people to get to school, work and, appointments.

I’m happy to share that Saanich is taking the lead on improving road safety, but we can’t do it alone. We need your valuable feedback to help us chart the right path forward.

Through the implementation of the Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP), Saanich is seeking to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries while ensuring safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for everyone. We’ve heard from many of you through our public engagement opportunities, but we’re still seeking feedback to help shape the future of road safety.

Please take a moment to complete the draft RSAP survey, which is open until March 31, 2024.

No matter how you get around town — whether you’re a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, or driver — let’s all work together to make Saanich safer for everyone.

Dean Murdock, Mayor of Saanich