Victoria Coun. Dave Thompson has a simple message for drivers in the city.
“We need drivers to stop at red lights and obey the speed limit,” Thompson tweeted on Wednesday (Sept. 6). “Camera enforcement is effective.”
That’s why Thompson and Coun. Matt Dell pushed a motion – approved unanimously at Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting – to get the city to ask the province to install speed and red light cameras in area that have seen more than 20 crashes causing either death or injury – also known as casualty crashes.
Victoria will now lobby the province on this issue. Meanwhile, the District of Saanich has a resolution demanding more traffic enforcement cameras set to be discussed at the next Union of B.C. Municipalities conference, which takes place Sept. 18 to 22 in Vancouver.
According to a report from City of Victoria staff, ICBC data shows that in Victoria during the period 2018 to 2022 there were 4,087 casualty crashes (crashes resulting in injury or fatality, as opposed to crashes involving just property damage).
The report cited the Government of BC as saying that “most crashes in British Columbia happen at intersections. To reduce injuries and save lives, B.C. installs intersection safety cameras — sometimes called red light cameras — at intersections where crashes occur frequently. Warning signs let drivers know the intersection has cameras. Stopping for red lights and observing the speed limits help to reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities.”
Intersection safety cameras are currently located at 140 high-crash intersections province-wide, 105
monitor red light violations, while 35 monitor both red light and speed violations.”
“The cameras are proven to be effective at reducing side-impact, head-on and pedestrian crashes, and are located where red light running and high speed cause serious crashes,” reads the report.
There is only one red light camera in Victoria, and no speed cameras. That camera is at Lansdowne and Shelbourne.
More than 98% of casualty crashes in Victoria during 2018-2022 occurred at locations other than that intersection, said the report.
READ MORE: Saanich driver clocked at triple the speed limit in Oak Bay