I am dismayed that even though the “official road work season” has begun there is still no evidence that the Oak Bay municipal council and its engineering department have decided to act on the numerous letters and petitions requesting that traffic calming devices be installed to protect the safety of the residents of McNeill Avenue.
In particular, the stretch of road from Foul Bay Road to Victoria Avenue is so treacherous for those children who have chosen to ride their bicycles to school have resorted to using the sidewalk, which in turn creates a different safety problem. Protecting the public’s safety should be the most important consideration for Oak Bay municipal council and its engineering department.
My hopes were raised when the engineering department installed speed monitors and traffic counters, but there has been no word, nor action, since their installation. The engineering department must have in its possession the evidence it requires to illustrate the need to control the speed of traffic along this stretch of road – all we need now is the political will to mobilize the municipal council to make this a priority.
Municipal council has forgotten that McNeill Avenue is first and foremost a residential street and that their inaction puts pedestrians, children, family pets, and cyclists’ safety in jeopardy. Something has to change before tragedy strikes.
The time has come for the Oak Bay municipal council and its engineering department to act for the safety of all.
D.J. Agar
Oak Bay