Project funds will be used towards the installation and evaluation of speed reader boards along Chilliwack River Road.
This project is in partnership between the City of Chilliwack and the SAY Lands Office, which consists of Skowkale, Aitchelitz and Yakweakwioose First Nations. Through this project, speed reader boards will be installed at two locations along Chilliwack River Road. Chilliwack River Road is a winding two lane arterial roadway with a posted 50 km/h speed limit and annual average traffic of over 5,000 vehicles per day. There are no sidewalks next to the roadway and there is a 1.5m unprotected bike lane on the road shoulder. Speeding on this road is a concern, especially as the community population continues to increase rapidly. A traffic speed study from the summer of 2021 indicated that the 85th percentile speed (the speed that 85% of vehicles are travelling at or below) is 63 km/h, with close to 90% of vehicles travelling above the speed limit. ICBC collision data from between 2016 and 2020 indicates that there were 17 crash claims that identified speed as the main factor and another 18 where speed may have been a factor in the crashes.
There are many Indigenous, elderly, and young pedestrians on this road due to its proximity to the Skowkale and Yakweakwioose lands, the school bus stops on the side of the roadway, and there are many retired residents who live on the nearby leased lands. In addition, SAY has completed building a community centre along Chilliwack River Road, which has increased pedestrian traffic in the area. Lastly, BC Transit, SAY, and the City have identified a public transit route along Chilliwack River Road in its 2021 Transit Future Action Plan, which will increase the number of pedestrians along this corridor. With limited pedestrian connections within Skowkale, individuals without vehicles have no choice but to walk along the side of the roadway.
By installing these speed reader boards, this project represents an effort to improve safety and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists along this corridor. Until such time that funding allows for a more comprehensive, separated pedestrian option, this is a low-cost measure to improve safety for vulnerable road users.
