Upgrades coming to Prospect Lake Rd in Saanich following community concerns

The District of Saanich has announced that they will be implementing a series of staged improvements in an effort to make Prospect Lake Road safer for users.

Saanich is suggesting that the pending improvements are a result of a road safety review that was carried out following community concerns, voiced to the district.

“We heard the concerns from the community relating to safety on their roads and proactively did a careful review of the area to see if improvements could be made,” said Mayor Fred Haynes.

“The review showed that some staged improvements will make this rural road a lot safer, and we would like to thank the community and all involved for their valuable feedback. While we all still need to do our part to use rural roads safely, implementing these recommendations will provide a marked improvement for this busy area.”

The rural road, which spans between Burnside Rd and West Saanich Rd, has been the location of multiple fatal vehicle crashes over the past few years.

Back in October, the community demanded action after a pickup truck collided with and killed the driver of a motorcycle.

“I always hug the shoulder and I basically hold my breath on the last three corners just to come to my house, terrified someone is going to come around the corner and hit me,” Janice Madson, a resident of the area, said back in 2019.

Following their road safety review, Saanich is ready for action, suggesting a list of improvements will be made in the short, medium and long term.

According to the district, four steps will be taking in the short term.

Saanich aims to improve signage and pavement markings, create a speed reduction zone of 30 km/h between Estelline Rd. to Goward Rd., install a centre line rumble strip near Munn Rd. and narrow the road to one-way at Calvert Pond.

Looking ahead within the next five years, Saanich hopes to improve sightlines by cutting shrubbery and trees, install improved reflective markings, and extend the centerline rumble strip beyond Munn Rd.

Some of the bigger safety projects that Saanich is recommending beyond the next five years include improving the geometry of both intersections in the area and the road itself. This would include widening the road or installing a shoulder.

Saanich also points to a desire to improve the intersection at Prospect Lake Road and West Burnside Rd.

According to the District of Saanich, a third-party contractor assisted on the road safety review and will be available to make recommendations on appropriate next steps moving forward.

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