With the aim of improving road traffic safety on Blanshard Street, the City of Victoria has begun work on upgrades between Caledonia Avenue and Fort Street.
The upgrades will include new left turn lanes, protected bike lanes, improved lighting, loading zones and new accessible parking.
“Blanshard Street is one of the highest collision corridors in the city and the improvements will help move Victoria towards its goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths or serious injuries,” the city said in a news release.
According to ICBC data, between 2019 to 2023, there were 1376 crashes on Blanshard Street. Of those, 572 occurred between Caledonia and Fort.
“[Blanshard] does not have any dedicated space for people riding and rolling, pedestrian crossing distances are relatively long and general travel lanes require frequent lane-switching,” communications manager Colleen Mycroft told Victoria News.
This project aligns with the city’s 2022-2026 strategic plan, which prioritizes expanding Victoria's network of bike lanes and improving pedestrian traffic experience.
“As an avid rider who has been commuting by bike for much of the last 25 years, I don’t feel particularly safe on Blanshard Street,” said Colleen Sparks, the executive director of cycling education and advocacy group Capital Bike. “Protected bike lanes and the pedestrian infrastructure they are putting in will improve connections between existing bike infrastructure and will make the street safer.”
Sparks added that road safety improvements will also encourage more people to ride their bikes, which could improve the health of residents, lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce congestion.
During construction, the city expects intermittent lane reductions, parking restrictions, road closures, signal shutdowns, noise and odours, but said that it will do all that it can to minimize impacts to traffic.
