Minister of Transportation responded

On March 29, 2021 I received the following response from the Minister of Transportation.

298233 - Highway 93/95 speed limit

Dear Edward Mayer and co-signers:

Thank you for your email of January 13, 2021, and attached petition, regarding safety on Highway 93/95 in the Windermere and Invermere areas.

Ministry staff are going to review the speed limit along this section of Highway 93/95. The review will take place during the peak summer season to ensure it considers the highway at its busiest. In addition to reviewing the speed limit, staff will explore opportunities to better facilitate access on and off the highway and assess the most recent collision data for this area to inform their work.

Ministry engineers consider many factors when setting speed limits, including the intended use of the road and its design speed, adjacent land use, intersections, accesses, traffic volumes, road characteristics such as curves and sightlines, and the route’s safety history.

I understand that our engineering staff last reviewed the speed limit on this section of highway in 2017. The review confirmed that the speed limit was safe and appropriate for the conditions of the corridor at that time.

From experience, we know most drivers will travel at a speed that they feel is safe for a road, regardless of the posted speed limit. Speed limits that drivers perceive as being set artificially low tend to be ignored and can create more dangerous conditions for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, who may wrongly expect vehicles to be travelling more slowly.

You may be interested to know that, according to RoadSafetyBC, the number of fatal motor vehicle incidents across the Southern Interior region has been trending downward for 10 years. Speed-related collisions and all collisions involving injuries or fatalities are down by at least 20 per cent over previous years.

If you have any questions or would like an update on the review later this year, please feel free to contact our Area Manager, Roads, Cory Schmidt, at 250 426-1500 or by email at Cory.Schmidt@gov.bc.ca. He would be pleased to help you.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,

Rob Fleming - Minister

Copy to:        Premier John Horgan

Honourable Mike Farnworth -  Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General MLA, Port Coquitlam

Cory Schmidt, Area Manager, Roads  Cranbrook Office

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