Victoria to lower speed limit to 30 km/h on neighbourhood streets

Drivers in Victoria's Hillside-Quadra neighbourhood will be the first to experience the city's new default speed limit of 30km/h on residential streets starting this spring. (CTV New

Drivers in Victoria's Hillside-Quadra neighbourhood will be the first to experience the city's new default speed limit of 30km/h on residential streets starting this spring.

The lower speed limit will replace the current limit of 50km/h starting May 1.

The new limit applies to local streets, typically in residential areas, which do not have a centre line and are used by fewer than 1,000 vehicles per day, according to the City of Victoria.

Speed limits on major roads like Blanshard Street, Hillside Avenue, Cook Street and Shelbourne Street will remain at 50km/h.

Following the change in Hillside-Quadra, the city will focus on implementing the new 30km/h limit in the Burnside-Gorge area this fall, followed by the Oaklands neighbourhood in the winter.

"Slower speeds are just one of the strategies we are implementing to achieve Vision Zero – the elimination of traffic fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways," the city says on its website explaining the shift.

"Vision Zero is an international best practice and included in Go Victoria, our sustainable mobility strategy."

City staff cite B.C. government statistics showing that a pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling 50km/h has an 80 per cent chance of dying from their injuries, while a pedestrian struck at 30km/h has a 10 per cent chance of being killed.

The decision follows a similar move in Saanich, where council voted earlier this month to lower speed limits to 40km/h along nine major routes.