VICTORIA -- View Royal has begun the process of fixing traffic congestion along the Six Mile corridor.

The municipality held an open house on Wednesday to present some solutions to the traffic snarl. 

“Really, the problem is not View Royal traffic,” said View Royal Mayor David Screech. “It’s the problem from traffic to the west that is using that road as a cut-through.”

A few different ideas have been put on the table. Some of those suggestions are a roundabout at Atkins Road and Six Mile Road. Another suggestion is a traffic light at Chilco Road and Six Mile Road, as well as changing the timing of the existing lights where Six Mile Road meets the Island Highway. 

The mayor says he continues to hear from residents saying they are having a hard time even turning onto Six Mile Road because of the steady stream of cars exiting Highway One to avoid the traffic backlog into Victoria. 

“We need some sort of traffic calming along that corridor,” said Screech. “It slows the traffic down and maybe makes it not such a desirable shortcut.”

Similar work was done to Helmcken Road years back and with that project View Royal saw a reduction in the use of that road as a shortcut. 

Traffic along that corridor is only going to get busier as well. A new 350-unit housing complex is currently being built near Thetis Lake.

Six Mile Road is actually owned by the province so whatever decision is made will have to be approved by the provincial government.