Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps is throwing her support behind a resolution to lower speed limits from 50 km/h to 30 km/h on some residential streets across the city.
The resolution was put forward by the City of Vancouver at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention on Wednesday, as part of a pilot project to reduce speed limits on streets with no centre lines.
According to the proposal, some municipalities are looking to lower speed limits on these streets to encourage a wider range of transportation methods and to improve safety for non-vehicle users, like pedestrians and cyclists.
According to the City of Vancouver, when a vehicle is travelling 30 km/h and collides with a pedestrian, the odds of survival for the pedestrian are approximately 90 per cent. In contrast, if a vehicle is travelling 50 km/h, the odds of survival for a pedestrian are reduced to just 20 per cent.
While the motion cited side streets with no centre line as the focus of the speed-limit reduction, the resolution also calls for amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to allow for municipalities to institute blanket speed zones in residential areas.
