I have travelled the Malahat for 30 years experiencing every improvement and every weather condition.
Of course more barriers will make travelling safer but why on earth can we not reduce the carnage with the weapons we already possess?
Anyone who says speed is not a major factor is unbelievable.
The current posted speeds are routinely exceeded by about 30-40 kilometres per hour.
The law is being broken every day with little or no consequence. The Malahat does not seem to be policed at all.
All statistics and common sense dictate that speed plays a huge role in the severity of accidents and the ability to avoid them, especially in inclement weather conditions.
When radar was in operation accidents declined drastically and was supported by the police.
Education is futile as the offenders know fully well that they are breaking the law and don’t care!
These drivers need to be stopped.
The section of the Malahat in question takes about 15-20 minutes to drive at the posted limits so all the speeding and overtaking along that stretch results in a gain of a maximum of a couple of minutes which is usually lost at the first light. People are dying over two or three minutes!
I have lost track of the number of times I have been passed at the start of the Malahat drive and ended up right next to the speeder at the first or second traffic signal.
The overtaking lane at the summit going south should be made one lane, no overtaking. It is too short and encourages the slow drivers to speed up and the formula one types to take a chance.
So to sum up, enforce the law and pray that self-drive cars become a reality soon and take the weapons of mass destruction away from those selfish individuals who think the road should be a race track and not a method of safely getting from A to B.
David Hewson
Mill Bay
