Please put in a crosswalk..lower speed limit…daily near misses…speeding frequently on Highland Way…speed limits not enforced.
Public engagement on community issues is often reduced to a bureaucratic hoop-jumping exercise that must be done to create a semblance of democracy. Speeding, it seems, is different. District staff will have a lot of work as they parse through a torrent of comments—1,014 to be precise—by residents on a pilot project to limit speeding on local roads.
In March, the District of Squamish announced it is exploring speed limit reductions on local roads and invited public input to identify the areas where speeding is a concern. Residents have answered, and the overwhelming consensus seems to be that speeding is a concern in the community.
The issues seem to have struck a nerve in Garibaldi Highlands, which saw the maximum number of comments, with 398 people sharing their concerns. Over 100 people have expressed concern with traffic and speeding on The Boulevard, ranging from speeding to blind corners to lack of any traffic calming whatsoever.
Below is a just a smattering of comments from concerned residents:
Cars, trucks are coming up and down the Boulevard waaaaay too fast.
I cross at this crossing 4 times per day and cars often do not see me, especially at night. They come out of the roundabout and accelerate.
The average speed is much too high here. Raised crosswalks would be a great solution.
Anybody who has walked this bridge and the way up to the University knows that people drive 100 km + ALL. THE. TIME. It’s terrifying. This road needs speed bumps and should be better enforced for speed. People come out of the school zone below it, and they GUN IT. It’s awful.
After Garibaldi Highlands, it was Downtown Squamish, and especially Cleveland Ave that generated the most complaints. As many as 233 residents have expressed their concerns with the speeding and traffic in the area, with many writing about unsafe driving at Buckley and Cleveland Ave.
The survey is now closed, but the project team will report on key outcomes and share the results with the community for review in May, including a summary of all comments and recommend future action.
