Sidney residents who want slower traffic on their streets now have a clear path to make it happen. At its June 8, 2026 meeting, Town Council approved a new Traffic Calming Policy that sets up a formal process for neighbourhoods to ask for things like speed humps, raised crosswalks, and parking setbacks near intersections.
Before this, requests were looked at one by one without a set way to weigh them. The new policy changes that with a scoring system and a requirement to show support from people living nearby. It means any resident can start a request, but it will be measured against real data and community backing.
Council also told staff to prepare a proposal for a yearly traffic calming budget. No dollar amount was set, but the idea is to create a dedicated fund in a future budget cycle so projects can move ahead when they qualify. The neighbouring District of Saanich put a similar policy in place in August 2025 with a $250,000 annual budget aimed at about five small projects a year.
At the same meeting, Council updated the Streets and Traffic Bylaw to set a 20 km/h limit on all lanes in town and add new 30 km/h zones on Courser Drive, Linda Place, and Lannon Way by the Greenglade Community Centre. This builds on earlier steps taken in March, when 30 km/h zones were added on streets near Sidney Elementary School, including Brethour Avenue, Henry Avenue, Seventh Street, Chicory Place, Simkin Place, and Buddleia Place.
This push for safer streets follows a public survey last fall that drew 981 responses. Only 32 percent backed a blanket 30 km/h limit on all local roads, but many pointed out specific spots where speeding is a real worry. Research from Road Safety BC shows a person struck by a car going 30 km/h has about a 90 percent chance of surviving, compared to just 20 percent at 50 km/h.
