Speed cameras could soon be coming to the Malahat on southern Vancouver Island.
The Capital Regional District Traffic Safety Commission has received overwhelming support from people following an online survey.
To gauge support, more than 1,400 people weighed in earlier this year. Seventy per cent of people voted in favour of putting in the cameras, three per cent were neutral and the remaining 27 per cent were against.
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“We looked across Canada and we looked internationally, and speed cameras — interval cameras like this — work,” said Capital Regional District Traffic Safety Commission Chair Colin Plant.
Point-to-point, or interval cameras have been used around the world. In many cases, proving not only to reduce speed, but the number and severity of crashes.
The cameras record a vehicle as it enters and leaves a section of highway, then calculates how fast it was travelling based on the time. Speeding drivers will get a ticket in the mail.
“We believe that is a significant mandate for the province to take action and implement a pilot project,” added Plant.
The hope is to see the cameras come in on at least one of these major routes: the Malahat, the Sea to Sky, or the Coquihalla.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth would only say it’s on his radar.
“We’re looking at the merits of it but no decisions have been made,” said Farnworth.
While speed is just one factor when it comes to crashes along the Malahat, it is also the one thing that can be closely monitored.
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