Stalling out with MOTI

The short of current status on getting safer traffic conditions for the Park Heights neighbourhood, is very much a no. Despite, a fair degree of communication and politely worded, the final answer from MOTI is essentially "that isn't in our normal procedure go pound sand", but maybe one day. With a slight hint that a direct request from the CRD would have more weight but likely be short term ignored as well.

Some direct quotes from discussions:
 

The only way to manage the provincial secondary road inventory in a way where drivers can be reasonably expected to know the speed limit is to treat it with some uniformity. We do this with blanket speed zones like the one this area already has.

• Even more than a typical posted speed limit, a 50km/h blanket speed zone (or municipal statutory limit within a city) does not necessarily mean that 50 is the safe speed. Drivers are expected to drive to the conditions (the same goes for those rural areas with a statutory 80km/h limit).
• It is not possible to enforce speed limits and/or traffic calm all of BC’s rural roads or even to make sure they are designed to be as uniform as municipal roads typically are so lower limits in rural settings are not expected to see the same safety performance or compliance as they do in urban/suburban settings.

Quite frankly, ridiculous, the public perception of speed limits does not match that idea at all. The public perception of speed limits is if you aren't doing speed limit +5km you are blocking the road. The standard thought that you can't be ticketed for speeding unless doing 10+ also encourages this attitude. 

Also, we're not talking about traffic calming even a minute percentage of roads in BC, we're talking about a case where a significant number of residents - a majority on at least one road - have signed a petition asking for safer speed limits. The petition acknowledged that signs will not prevent speeding alone but that most people would drive slower. If people are speeding at 10km over the limit, 40 is a lot safer than 60. 

After final question - I decided to stop going after a brick wall at this point/avoid just annoying staff and to work other avenues at least until after the fall provinical election - I did get at least a response that has a possible route forward.

Short term, a request directly from the CRD likely won’t make a difference. The Ministry can’t deviate from established policy and design standards without sufficient cause to do so.

However, looking long term, if the CRD advocates a move to reduce side road speed limits and wanted to share that stance with the Ministry, it may lead to further assessment of current day policy and add to the record of growing support amongst the general public.

So over the coming months will be talking with CRD directors and other folks as need be.