Saanich plans safety improvements to intersections and troubled corridors

McKenzie Avenue in Saanich, B.C., which will see six safety upgrades through the district's Vision Zero safety plan over the coming 10 years.

When 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was struck and killed in a crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road in Saanich in 2021, the community was shaken to the core.

“I think that we still continue to deal with the impacts that that created for folks,” said Dean Murdock, Saanich mayor.

At the time, Murdock wasn’t the mayor – but Saanich’s then-mayor and council made the declaration to become a Vision Zero community.

"It is an action plan that prioritizes safety for all road users,” said Murdock.

That includes people who are walking, riding a bike, taking transit or behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Saanich is the only community on the island – and one of only a few in Canada – to adopt Vision Zero, a road safety plan that aims to eliminate all fatalities on the roadways.

"We're prioritizing those higher-risks intersections, crossings and corridors to eliminate that risk for people,” said the mayor.

It’s a 10-year, $21-million plan, modeled after similar initiatives in Europe.

"It did originate in the Netherlands and Sweden in the 1990s,” said Neil Arason, a road safety specialist.

Prior to adopting the road safety plan, those countries had around 25 road crash fatalities per year, per 100,000 people. Today, they average around two or three.

Arason says not all changes need to be big ticket items, and that sometimes small tweaks can go a long way in protecting road users.

"It can be leading pedestrian intervals,” said Arason. “Giving pedestrians a head start over traffic … has been hugely proven to work. Saanich has been a leader in implementing those and it's just signal timing."

Saanich has identified 20 priority locations – 13 intersections and seven corridors – where improvements could include increased lighting, added crosswalks or traffic calming improvements.

The municipalities police department will have a roll to play in the safety measures, "by way of education, enforcement and specialized deployment as needed for areas that may have high collisions or be deemed dangerous or unsafe,” said Insp. Damian Kowalewich with the Saanich Police Department.

There were two road fatalities in the community in 2022, and three in 2023, according to police. So far this year, there have been two.

"We know the devastating effects that collisions and fatalities have on families and we're working towards that Vision Zero with the municipality,” said Kowalewich.