Improving bicycle traffic facilities in Saanich is a good goal.
At the same time we should learn lessons from the Lisa’s Lanes insanity in Victoria, and from the decision to reduce McKenzie to three lanes in Saanich and Cedar Hill X Road at Shelborne from four lanes to two.
Victoria’s decision not to develop bike lanes along Balmoral/Fisgard and along View rather than Pandora was a major error, like the decision to place the two-way lanes on the same side of one-way streets as transit buses.
Westbound traffic long McKenzie Avenue backs up from Shelborne to Gordon Head road, diverting to Laval / Blair and Feltham. I have seen late afternoon traffic on Feltham backed up to Lambrick Way at times since the change.Transit buses arriving at Shelborne often have to wait for more than one traffic light cycle, because the advance green for turning left stops at 4 p.m.
At least one senior on an electric scooter regularly travels the westbound McKenzie bike lane in the reverse direction, interfering with cyclists and buses, instead of staying on the sidewalk as required by law.
A westbound transit bus brings the entire traffic stream on McKenzie to a halt. Autos, busses and bicycles.
Midgard would have been a better choice for enhancing east-west bicycle traffic. It also aligns with an existing high-volume paved bike route access to the UVic campus.
Changing the signs along Teakwood to allow non stop access by cyclists would be a safer solution that would also avoid the need for a dedicated westbound bike lane. It could also be connected to the University Heights shopping centre, and to a new bike way along Arrow Road or other ways of connecting via Bow park and the Galloping Goose Connector. Access could be provided via McCoy road and along the north side of Mt. Douglas secondary, or along Fleet.
The proposal to make Shelborne the major north-south access to Saanich between Quadra and Henderson, a two-lane road is simply insanity. I remember when people used to be able to park along the curb after 6 p.m. Traffic nightmare.
Southbound traffic is often brought to a dead stop already at North Dairy. There are no left or right turn lanes, so traffic in the centre lane gets blocked by people waiting to turn left.
Traffic in the curb lane is often blocked, at the same time, by someone waiting for pedestrians to finish using the cross walk before turning right. Having to wait for at least one red green traffic light cycle is common. Waiting for two or even three cycles is not unusual. Traffic diverts along McRae and Browning.
The new traffic light at Hillside and Shakespeare would be an excellent place for cyclists to cross Hillside. Much safer than trying to squeeze through the high accident rate intersection at Hillside and Shelborne. That is the route I take cycling to downtown Victoria from Saanich.
Improving bike access along Browning, connecting to Shakespeare and Scott St via Hillside Shopping Centre, would be safer and not interfere with auto traffic along Shelborne. We often see traffic along Shelborne south of Hillside come to a complete stop for buses or construction vehicles. I have seen joggers keep pace with buses from Johnson at Cook all the way to Hillside.
Kelly Manning
Saanich
