Re: Esquimalt council considers lower Rockheights speed (News, Sept. 11)
The reason Rockheights Avenue and virtually every other side street in Esquimalt that isn’t a dead end have increased traffic loads seems perfectly obvious to me.
As Esquimalt’s main arteries have each, in turn, become constricted and choked by lane closures and unreasonably low speed limits, drivers turn to any clear route that can bypass the routine daily delays and traffic jams.
What are a few speed bumps and stop signs compared to sitting in a line of traffic and waiting two, three or more lights to pass through an intersection?
It’s not that these side routes are any faster than they ever were, it’s that the clogged main arteries are now no faster, or in many cases are slower.
They can’t handle typical traffic loads without delays, let alone rush hours.
The reaction by the municipality has been to lower speed limits and install speed bumps and gratuitous stop signs on each alternate route as its traffic load increases.
Thanks Esquimalt! The township lost 3.6 per cent of its population between the last two censuses, according to 2011 Statistics Canada numbers. It’s probably lost more residents since then.
Who wants to live where it’s frustrating to travel from anywhere to anywhere and every year it gets worse?
Craig Carmichael
Esquimalt