West Saanich Road Corridor Improvements
Update: September 29, 2023
Work was completed in September 2023 for the approved short-term improvements. Ongoing monitoring for safety and the effectiveness of the changes will inform future work. The District continues to work with the School District and local residents on prioritizing future work to improve safety for all users.
Update: August 8, 2023
At the May 15 Regular Meeting of Council, Council approved short-term improvements on West Saanich Road and Birch Road near Deep Cove Market. Socor Contracting Ltd. has commenced work on these improvements, with an expected construction timeframe of 3-4 weeks. Traffic disruptions are expected to be minimal as work is limited to small areas.
- Minor curb, repaving and line painting work at West Saanich Rd. and Birch Rd. intersection will realign parking on West Saanich Road. Available parking will be increased on Birch Rd., and improved sightlines will increase safety for all users of the intersection.
- Curb additions and stop bar relocations at Wain Rd. and West Saanich Rd. intersection will provide more visibility for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
- Relocation of the existing bus stop to meet current BC Transit guidelines will allow safer operation of crosswalk in vicinity of bus stop.
- District staff will complete the short term items, including posted speed limit reductions on West Saanich Rd. and enhancements to the School Zone speed reduction signs, with a high-visibility strip added to the poles.
Update: May 16, 2023
At the Regular Meeting of Council held May 15, staff presented a report outlining recommended short-term improvements, in addition to the 2021 Council-approved parking improvements at the Deep Cove Market and the West Saanich/Wain Road intersection. Council voted in favour of these additional recommendations, including speed limit reduction, increased school zone recognition, and bus stop relocation.
Update: May 8, 2023
Thank you for providing your feedback on the proposed West Saanich corridor improvements. The summary report outlining the community engagement is now available. Following feedback from the community engagement, additional short-term improvements are recommended in addition to the 2021 Council approved parking improvements at the Deep Cove Market and the West Saanich/Wain Road intersection. These include speed limit reduction, increased school zone recognition, and bus stop relocation. Staff are preparing to present these recommendations at the May 15 Regular Meeting of Council.
The District of North Saanich is prioritizing road safety and active transportation improvements in the Deep Cove community on West Saanich Road between Clayton Road and Wain Road.
The District has developed a proposed concept that looks to balance the needs of adjacent businesses and the Deep Cove Elementary school by accommodating safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, while improving sightlines and parking needs.
Short-term improvements focus on West Saanich Rd nearby the Deep Cove Market and the West Saanich Rd / Wain Rd intersection. Improvements include the following:
- Convert on-street parking on West Saanich Rd (adjacent to Deep Cove Market) to parallel parking to improve sightlines and provide additional pedestrian space
- Create safe, continuous pedestrian space along Deep Cove Market frontage
- Improve the crosswalk on West Saanich Rd at the Deep Cove Market
- Mark-up for the proposed loss of parking on West Saanich Rd with new parking on Birch Rd
- Improve the Wain Rd intersection to slow vehicle speeds, improve pedestrian crossing conditions and extend driver sightlines
Long-term improvements are guided by key directions in the District’s Active Transportation Plan and include facilities that will better accommodate people walking and cycling.
West Saanich Road Corridor Improvements Presentation
Watch the brief presentation below to learn more about the project purpose, background and proposed concepts as shared at the March 1 Public Information Session. Please provide your feedback by March 31, 2023 using the "Opportunity for Input" function at the bottom of the page.
***Refer back to this project webpage for project updates.
One improvement that can be made to West Saanich Road is better sitelines at the intesection with Tatlow Road by cutting back trees. Cars on Tatlow need to edge into intersection to check for oncoming traffic.
Looking forward to the changes once completed. I do not support a 4 way stop at Wain and West Saanich because there are only limited times during the day where traffic is busy. The biggest thing that made is safe was improved sight lines by removing brush on the SE corner of Wain/W.Saanich
"Please convert the Wain/West Saanich intersection to a 4 way stop in the short term."
I second this. This will prevent accidents as well as slowing down traffic.
It seems odd the District is wanting to install parent parking on the west side of W. Saanich Road where kids have to cross that road, when on the other hand the District wants to remove the parking on the same side of the road in front of the DC Market for safety reasons??? Why isn't the DC School installing safe parking on the school grounds for student pick up's and drop off's?
Adding parking on Birch Road is an accident waiting to happen with vehicles turning onto Birch from two directions, vehicles travelling east on Birch plus having to deal with vehicles entering and existing the 2 - 3 entry points at the service station located directly behind the proposed parking - when there is already sufficient customer parking located on the north side of the DC Market. Think this entire proposal needs rethinking.
Will the mail boxes on Birch Rd. be moved? As it is now it is difficult to access them when so many cars park in front of them.
I have a number of questions about this project. 1-Why are cars allowed to cross a double solid line there against the rules consistently? A barrier on the centre line would stop that.
2-How many incidents have there been in this area that require these changes in the last 30 years?
3-Why are cars allowed to back on to the road against the rules here?
Please convert the Wain/West Saanich intersection to a 4 way stop in the short term. This would slow northbound traffic as it approaches Birch, the market and the school at a nominal cost. Longer term, consider a traffic circle which would reduce emissions by stopping and accelerating.
I would like to know what the costs are of these projects.
One of the earlier slides in the deck also speaks to reducing lanes for vehicles. When all of these roads are only 1 lane in each direction, I really don't see how this can possibly be achieved. Nor would I support that in any way.
I believe in a safe corridor for every one in the community however this plan does not meet the current parking bylaw by not having an accessible parking space. I hope this will be corrected.
I am really happy to see improved pedestrian space proposed around Deep Cove Elementary. Both my daughters go to school there. I am often scared to see kids jumping out of their family vehicles on West Saanich Road during the morning rush, either stepping onto a very busy road or into a ditch.
I don’t see why we are protecting those dangerous parking spaces in front of the market. The store has a good sized parking lot and accessible parking on Birch Road. Those spaces in front of the market on West Saanich market put kids at risk for a completely unnecessary convenience. We can walk a few extra steps to shop!
Thanks for addressing this challenging area!
The idea for parallel parking along west Saanich road for the deep cove market sounds like a good option as long as the spaces are made up for on Birch road.
Please do not spend money on a new crosswalk. Use that money to fix the drainage issue on Clayton road at the school. All the parents and children have to jump over massive puddles when it rains, especially in the fall because the drain is not large enough.