Wallace Drive is a risk for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

We, the citizens of Greater Victoria, are advocating for roadway and active transportation infrastructure improvements to Wallace Drive (between Willis Point Rd. and the Central Saanich border, see map below).

Tell your municipal councillors and staff that improvements to Wallace Drive are needed to ensure safe and accessible transportation infrastructure for all users. 

Calls for infrastructure improvements for Wallace Drive are not new - this section of road has been ignored for too many years. 

 

 

Key Points: 

Collector Road Classification:

• Wallace Drive is classified as a collector road, but does not meet the provincial and municipal requirements for a collector road due to the narrow width, no shoulder, uneven grade, and exposed ditches. 
• Saanich has identified this in their Draft Road Safety Action Plan "The road network that services this area (rural Saanich) consists of Major Collector and Residential roads that typically have narrow pavement widths and are not constructed to the standard set by Saanich's road classification system. They are also heavily lined with vegetation, and tend to have more hills, curves and rough surfaces compared to urban roads.

 

 

Sightlines and Maintenance:

• Overgrown grasses and shrubs along the roadway are not maintained.
• Wallace Drive has one solid yellow line, permitting motorists to pass in blind corners on a road with no shoulders, heavy cycling and vehicle traffic, and hidden driveways. 
• Saanich aims for Vision Zero (zero deaths and accidents for all users on roadways), and acknowledges that 'safety is proactive'. Distracted driving is increasing, and there is no room for error on Wallace Drive, leaving all road users vulnerable. 
• "In Rural Saanich where the pavement width is narrow and vegetation and topography affect visibility and sightlines in many locations, road design will be an important focus to improve safety." ~ Saanich Draft Road Safety Action Plan

 

 

Traffic Volumes & Speed: 

• Data from Feb 25th - 27th, 2020, shows a weekly average of 2920 vehicles, and 82 cyclists - these numbers would increase during the tourist and holiday season. 
• Data from Feb 25th - 27th, 2020 shows the average vehicle speed is 60 km/hr. The speed limit is 50 km/hr. This is concerning given the variety of road users, the blind corners, uneven grade, and overgrown shrubbery that impacts sight lines, along with the increase in distracted driving. 

 

 

Cycling:

• Wallace Drive is designated as the official Interurban Rail Trail bike route for All Ages and Abilities, but there is no infrastructure to support cyclists.
• Wallace Drive is a popular cycling route for large, organized triathlon and race events - but the road is not suitable to support these events with shared traffic (i.e. Ironman Victoria​, Tour de Victoria). 

 

 

Tourist and Commuter Traffic:

• Wallace Drive is a busy commuter route for daily cyclists and motorists from Central Saanich and Saanich.
• Tourist traffic from Butchart Gardens and Gowland Todd Provincial Park increases during the summer and holiday seasons, many following Google Maps blindly onto a rural roads not suitable for heavy traffic. 
• Residents have witnessed numerous near misses, and accidents on Wallace Drive. 

 

 

The problem has been identified, it's time to fix it. 

Improvements to safety are proactive.

"Realizing opportunities for connections between communities is important to creating a continuous, intuitive active transportation experience on the Saanich Peninsula." ~ Central Saanich, Active Transportation Plan.

"We heard frequent remarks that Wallace Drive is dangerous for cyclists, particularly between Stelly’s Cross Road and the boundary with the District of Saanich after Benvenuto Avenue. Between West Saanich Road and the District boundary, cycling on narrow roads with high levels of traffic were among the main concerns.” ~ Central Saanich, Active Transportation Plan.

"Rural + Semi-Rural Areas: A lack of safe walking and cycling infrastructure, limited transit service and basic transit facilities, greater distances between destinations, and rural road design that makes direct travel difficult, are all factors that contribute to the challenges that people in rural and semi-rural areas encounter when they try to travel on roads using different modes." ~ Saanich Draft Road Safety Action Plan 

 

 

 

 

~ The Saanich Active Transportation plan includes feedback from residents about bike issues on Wallace Drive, particularly the lack of bike infrastructure, traffic volumes and speed. 

Solutions & Recommendations: 

1. Wallace Drive crosses municipal borders, we encourage municipal councillors and staff from Central Saanich and Saanich to collaborate on potential solutions for roadway and active transportation infrastructure. It is a popular commuter route for residents from both municipalities. 
2. Install pneumatic road counters to compile up-to-date road user data during spring and summer seasons. 
3. Designate Wallace Drive a "locals only" road.
4. Implement traffic calming infrastructure.
5. Increase enforcement for distracted driving and speeding. 
6. Reduce the speed limit to increase safety and align with other rural roads in Saanich (Prospect Lake Road, Oldfield Rd, Sparton Rd.)
7. Survey Wallace Drive to understand how to widen and resurface the roadway to accommodate all users. 
8. Continue the off road Interurban Rail Trail along Wallace Drive. The trail abruptly stops past Red Barn Market, stranding users of all ages and abilities to navigate unsafe conditions on Wallace Drive. 
9. Councillors and Staff: Please drive, cycle or walk the section of Wallace Drive between Willis Point Road and the Central Saanich border. Experience the road for yourself to understand the risks for all users. 
10. Implement projects and improvements that support the System Approach (SSA) - an integrated and comprehensive process to improve safety in the transportation system.