Courtesy of the Government of BC:
As a result of the provincewide Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review, changes that will help improve safety and mobility are coming to B.C.’s rural highways.
This review was undertaken to assess four key aspects of road safety on rural highways, including the setting of appropriate speed limits, requirements for winter tires, keep right except to pass, and wildlife collisions.
SPEED LIMITS:For the Speed Limit portion of the review, the ministry assessed approximately 9,100 kilometres of rural provincial highway. The ministry will take the following actions:
- Adjust the speed limit on 35 sections of highway covering 1,300 kilometres (approximately 15% of the length of highway reviewed).
- Introduce a new maximum speed of 120 km/h on certain sections of divided multi-lane highways.
- Pilot variable speed zones on sections of the Trans-Canada, Coquihalla and Sea-to-Sky highways.
- Commit to ongoing monitoring and evaluation of speed limits and safety measures with the Road Safety Executive Steering Committee.
- Work to improve the way that data critical to identifying trends in highway safety is shared among all Road Safety Executive Steering Committee members.
WINTER TIRES:As a result of technical analysis in the Winter Tire portion of the review, the ministry will take the following actions:
- Bring forward changes to the Motor Vehicle Act to clarify that Mud and Snow (M+S) and mountain/snowflake tires are defined as winter tires.
- Modernize the studded tire and chain regulations.
- Change the dates winter tires are required on high mountain passes to the new timeframe of October 1 to March 31 (was October 1 to April 30).
- Install new winter tire signs to clarify the requirements.
- The ministry will extend additional resources as it continues to work with its road safety partners to promote the ‘Shift into Winter’ campaign, which reminds motorists to prepare their vehicles, ‘know before they go,” and to drive to road conditions.
KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS:The ministry will take the following actions following the Slow-Moving Vehicle portion of the safety review:
- Bring forward changes to the Motor Vehicle Act to give police better tools, through clearer language, to enforce the requirement for slower vehicles to keep right.
- Adopt new signage and pavement markings to increase voluntary compliance of ‘keep right’ requirements.
- Pilot signage on Highway 4 advising motorists with more than five vehicles following to pull over.
WILDLIFE COLLISIONS:Through the technical analysis as part of the Wildlife Safety review, measures have been identified that can further improve safety on corridors with higher instances of wildlife collisions. The ministry will take the following actions:
- Pilot two active wildlife detection systems on Highway 3 between Cranbrook and Sparwood.
- Install gateway signs at the entrance to highway corridors with higher instances of wildlife collisions.
- Increase the use of flashing LED warning signs in high crash locations.
- Increase the use of wildlife fencing in high crash locations.
- Additionally, the ministry will continue to monitor wildlife incidents, identify high-risk sections, and implement further measures such as required
Speed limit changes to rural provincial highways
Speed limits will be adjusted on approximately 1,300 kilometres of provincial highway. This is approximately 15% of the over 9,100 kilometres of provincial highway reviewed during this process. The majority of recommended increases are limited to an additional 10 km/hr.
Unless otherwise noted, new speed limits will be phased in over the summer.
Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon:
Highway 1 Whatcom Road (Exit 95) to junction with Highway 3 (74 km)
New speed limit: 110 (in effect today)Previous speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110 (in effect today)Previous speed limit: 100
Highway 1 East of Lake of the Woods Rest Area to Boston Bar (55 km)
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 1 Boston Bar to Falls Creek (24 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 7 Vehicle pull-out west of Haig Scale, Agassiz to Highway 1 junction, Hope (5 km)
Current speed limit: 90, 100
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90, 100
New speed limit: 100
Sea to Sky:
Highway 99 Eagle Ridge Interchange, Horseshoe Bay to south of the Stawamus River Bridge near Squamish (35 km)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 99 North of Depot Road, Squamish to Function Junction, Whistler (45 km)
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 99 South of Whistler Heliport Road to Pemberton Boundary (21 km)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit:90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit:90
Highway 99 East of Lillooet near the Pavilion Lime Plant to the Highway 97 junction (22 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Vancouver Island:
Highway 1 Three 80 km/h sections between Bench Road, Cowichan Bay and Beck Road, north of the Nanaimo Airport (totalling 10 km)
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 90
Highway 19 Parksville to south of Willis Road, Campbell River (114 km)
Current speed limit: 110
New speed limit: 120
Current speed limit: 110
New speed limit: 120
Highway 19 Duncan Bay Road to Menzies Road, Campbell River (4 km)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 19 Campbell River to Sullivan Road, Sayward (44 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 19 North of Campbell Way, Port McNeill to Douglas Street, Port Hardy (35 km)
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Southern Interior:
Highway 1 Six Mile Rest Area near Tobiano to Savona (12 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 1 Chase to Hilltop Road, East of Sorrento (25 km, excluding 60 km/h section through Sorrento)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 1 Canoe (near Salmon Arm) to Highway 23 South, Revelstoke (58 km, excluding 60 km/h section through Sicamous)
Current speed limit: 90, 100
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90, 100
New speed limit: 100
Highway 1 Highway 23 North, Revelstoke to Anderson Road, Golden (101 km excluding parks)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 3 Start of Highway 3 (Exit 170) to junction with Highway 5 Coquihalla (7 km)
Current speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110
Current speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110
Highway 3 Sunshine Valley to Manning Park East Boundary (33 km)
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 80, 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 3 Sunday Summit to Whipsaw Creek, west of Princeton (22 km)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 5 Hope (Exit 177) to Othello Road (4 km)
New speed limit: 110 (in effect today)Previous speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110 (in effect today)Previous speed limit: 100
Highway 5 Othello Road, near Hope to Highway 1 junction, near Kamloops (200 km)
New speed limit: 120 (in effect today)Previous speed limit: 110
New speed limit: 120 (in effect today)Previous speed limit: 110
Highway 5 Heffley to Little Fort (67 km, excluding 60 km/h section through Barriere)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 5A Old Hedley Road, north of Princeton to Highway 97C junction (36 km, excluding 70 km/h section through Aspen Grove)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 6 New Denver to Purdy Road, north of Hills (15 km, excluding 70 km/h section through Hills)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 6 Purdy Road, Hills to Upper Brouse Road, Nakusp (22 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 33 South of Gallagher Road to McCulloch Road (32 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 33 North of Highway 3 junction, Rock Creek to Westbridge (12 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 97 North of Willow Drive, 70 Mile House to BCR Overpass, 100 Mile House (37 km)
Current speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110
Current speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110
Highway 97 Gatzke Road, north of Oyama to College Way, south of Vernon (16 km)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100 - Pending completion of engineering assessment to determine if median barriers are required before implementation of the new speed limit.
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100 - Pending completion of engineering assessment to determine if median barriers are required before implementation of the new speed limit.
Highway 97 Highway 97A junction near Swan Lake to Westside Road (6 km)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 97A north of Smith Drive, Armstrong to Highway 97B junction, Enderby (18 km excluding 50 km/h section through Enderby)
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Current speed limit: 90
New speed limit: 100
Highway 97A Highway 97B junction, near Grindrod to Sicamous (33 km, excluding 50 km/h section through Grindrod)
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Current speed limit: 80
New speed limit: 90
Highway 97C Merritt to Aspen Grove (22 km)
Current speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110
Current speed limit: 100
New speed limit: 110
Highway 97C Aspen Grove to Drought Hill Interchange, Peachland (78 km)
New speed limit:120 (in effect today)Previous speed limit:110
New speed limit:120 (in effect today)Previous speed limit:110
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