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Are speed limits on Gabriola roads too high?

Submitted by: Ivan Bulic, for the Gabriola Transportation Society

The default speed limit on Gabriola Island is 50 km/h, except on stretches of North and South Roads where it is 60 km/h.

Some Gabriola drivers feel this is just right, or even too slow, especially along the North Road Tunnel.

Then there are others who say that to make our roadways safe for pedestrians, cyclists and kids playing, we need to rethink current speed limits.

Now Gabriolans can have a say about speed limits at a public forum organized by the Gabriola Transportation Society at 7:00 pm on Thurs, June 13 at the Rollo Centre, 685 North Road.

The forum will feature a panel including ICBC Road Safety Coordinator Rowena Narayan, Gabriola Fire Chief Will Sprogis, Erin Udal, and Islands Trustee Susan Yates. The panel will be moderated by Steve Struthers.

Gabriola is not the only community rethinking speed limits. Saanich and the city of Vancouver are considering reducing speeds in residential areas to 30 km/h. 

And there is some data that appears to support lower speeds. According to VisionZero, an international safety project, the probability of a pedestrian surviving being struck by a vehicle moving at 30 km/h is 90 per cent. At 50 km/h, the chance of surviving falls to 20 per cent.

But statistics can be interpreted in different ways. In the end it will be up to Gabriolans, working with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure,  to decide if changes to road speed limits are needed.

For more information contact : gabriolatransportation@gmail.com