District of Squamish to explore speed limit reductions to improve safety on roads

Public input is invited to identify areas where speed related concerns currently exist

The District of Squamish is launching the first phase of public engagement on a project to examine the potential for speed limit reductions to improve road safety in Squamish. The project involves exploring reduced posted speed limits on municipal roads. Through improving safety, the project aims to support bigger-picture outcomes to encourage sustainable transportation options, improve neighborhood connectivity, and support an equitable transportation network for all road users.

“Road safety is a shared community objective that we believe folks can agree on,” says District of Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford. “We want to learn from pedestrians, cyclists, micro mobility users, as well as drivers, where the critical concerns are so that we can find a supportable balance between safety, speed and efficiency. All road users deserve to feel comfortable, confident, and safe when moving through the community.”

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) City Limits report states that vehicle speed at the time of impact is directly correlated to whether a person will survive the accident. Data underlying this report was converted to kilometres per hour which results in the following statistics:

• A pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling at 50 kilometres per hour has a 50% chance of severe injury or death
• At 40 kilometres per hour the number drops to 30%
• At 30 kilometres per hour the number drops to 15%

Municipalities have the authority to change the default speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour, set by the BC Motor Vehicle Act. Reducing vehicular speeds to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety leads to improved neighbourhood connectivity by encouraging more walking and cycling. Council and staff have had previous discussions on options for lowering speed limits across the community, which could include District-wide, area-specific, or street-/corridor-specific speed reductions.

In addition to considering speed limit changes, the District continues to implement the 2016 Active Transportation (AT) Plan to increase the number of sidewalks and improve cycling route connections. While good progress has been made since 2016, AT infrastructure is costly, so the District is limited in the number of projects it can construct each year. Changes to speed limits are being looked at as a low-cost contribution to improving road safety for all road users.

“The District recently collected public input during the District’s Transportation Master Plan engagement that told us there is community interest to reduce vehicle speeds where pedestrians, especially school children, walk, ride, and roll,” says District of Squamish General Manager of Community Development Julie Wengi. “We believe there is support for a conversation about speed limit reductions and hope residents get involved.”

Community Input Needed

The District is seeking feedback from residents of all ages, neighbourhoods and transportation preferences to understand the areas of concern related to traffic speeds. The community is being asked to share locations where speed is a concern through an online mapping tool. The tool can be found at letstalksquamish.ca/speedlimits.

This preliminary input will help better understand speed related perceptions and concerns by all road users – people walking, cycling, rolling and driving. This feedback will help guide the District’s overall approach to considering speed limit changes in Squamish.

• The online mapping tool is open through Monday, April 8 on letstalksquamish.ca/speedlimits.
• Residents are asked to identify locations where vehicle speed is a concern.
• The online mapping tool is easy to use, and identifying an area of concern takes approximately 30 seconds per location.
• Residents are also invited to The 55 Activity Centre to add a comment to a physical map. Staff will be available for questions on Thursday, March 21 from noon-2pm. The map will then remain posted through April 8 for residents to stop by and add a comment.

The results of this feedback, along with speed limit reduction options and scenarios for discussion and feedback will be shared with the community this spring.

The mapping tool, detailed project and timeline information are all available at letstalksquamish.ca/speedlimits.

March 13, 2024