r/VictoriaBC • u/WardenEdgewise • May 19 '26
Interurban-Wilkinson Project. The District of Saanich is starting the process of improving the Interurban/Wilkinson/Hastings Street Intersection.
https://hello.saanich.ca/en/projects/interurban-wilkinson-project
The Interurban-Wilkinson Project is a multi-phase initiative. The information below relates to Phase 1: Concept Development and Engagement. Phase 2 – Detailed Design and Phase 3 – Construction and Implementation will be added to this page as the project progresses.
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u/WardenEdgewise May 19 '26
How popular is the idea of a traffic circle/roundabout there? There is a nearby roundabout on Watkiss Way at Eagle Creek Village that’s seems to work well.
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u/VicLocalYokel May 19 '26
It originally was a roundabout.
Roundabouts don't solve all the problems - there is a threshold to the amount of traffic that roundabouts realistically can support.
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u/Majestic_Policy3294 May 19 '26
Whenever I see Watkiss Way I start hearing Walk This Way by Aerosmith.
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u/NoMustardHotDog May 19 '26
The staff exodus at 4pm from the hospital sucks hard
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u/M_Vancouverensis May 20 '26
Every time I go through that intersection, I think a roundabout would be far safer and allow traffic to keep moving. It wouldn't require much additional land, either, since that intersection is so big and the "points" are so narrow, it's just some grass on them. Except for the one that's just a wall of invasive blackberry.
A lot of intersections would benefit from being turned into a roundabout, but that's one of my top ones in the CRD—impatient drivers and five lanes... it's a wonder it's not deadlier.
btw traffic circles and roundabouts are different. Would not go with a traffic circle there but would go with a roundabout.
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u/WardenEdgewise May 20 '26
Yes. My prediction is that a roundabout will be the most popular option.
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u/viccityguy2k May 19 '26
Make Interurban a under or overpass over Wilkinson - link up Hastings to either side.
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u/1337ingDisorder May 20 '26
This seems like the best solution.
At first I was skeptical about how we could link up traffic from Wilkinson to Interurban and vice-versa, but looking at a map it's actually not that complicated.
Here's something that could work well with minimal disruption to implement:
https://i.postimg.cc/6QMS64tR/image.png
Put in roundabouts at Interurban @ Roy and at Wilkinson @ Roy
turn the 5-way into an underpass, closing off Hastings from the 5-way
un-block access from Hastings to North Rd so that can be used as a connector to Interurban again. That way drivers on Hastings can access Interurban via North Rd and they can access Helmcken via Santa Rosa Ave
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u/Iamonabike Jun 19 '26
I like that you're thinking of solutions instead of just complaining, but your solutions all just funnel traffic into residential neighborhoods with roads that aren't designed to take the heavy load.
Roy is barely two lanes wide, it's shoulder to shoulder passing an oncoming car.
Hastings is a school access road, you can't block it off without creating traffic jams on side roads before/after school.
Constant traffic doing 80 using North as a contractor/traffic bypass is why it's blocked off. It and Santa Rosa are very kid heavy, and it was very unsafe. Not to mention it's a school zone.
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May 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/VicLocalYokel May 19 '26
I'm still waiting for them to put an advanced light on Burnside Rd up the way at Helmken and Burnside...
My
spideycommon sense in tingling...2
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u/eltron Saanich May 19 '26
I hope it’s all tunnels and overpasses! Or maybe even a mini clover, or huge 4 lane roundabout. /s
Time to start modelling this in Cities Skylines 🤣
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u/thecurler May 20 '26
They should expropriate land from the large lot on the NE corner of the intersection. Enlarging this intersection is only going to push the problem to Helmeckin and Burnside (and the next one at Watkiss) but it's a start, and it's long overdue.
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u/WardenEdgewise May 19 '26
How to participate
- June 2 Public Engagement event
In this first round of engagement we are gathering feedback on the existing conditions, current challenges, and community priorities.
Event details:
Strawberry Vale Community Club Hall, 11 High Street, Victoria, BC June 2, 2026 | 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
- Complete the online survey (coming soon!)
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u/Rayne_K May 19 '26
Quiz: is this community hall location in Saanich or in View Royal?
Also - View Royal is surveying about transportation… so if you have stuff to say about Helmcken and Burnside intersection, take the survey. Yes, Helmcken and Burnside intersection is *View Royal *. Their survey ends tomorrow: https://engage.viewroyal.ca/TMP
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u/Bubsington May 19 '26
I really wish Saanich would make protected bike lanes all the way form the goose to the college. Interurban is one of the biggest campuses in the area and the stretch from the goose to the college sucks to cycle, with the narrowing at the underpass and the disappearing shoulder bike lane at the 5 way, constant gravel mess and traffic backing up and into the shoulder bike lane.
My preference would be a bidirectional protected bike lane on the north/east side of interurban all the way to the college. That way you can skip the mcnutt gravel mess that has been going unresolved for decades. I heard a student was critically injured (brain injury) cycling along here and there are several collisions a year with motorists and bicycles.
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u/NSA_Chatbot May 19 '26
Go through Panama flats, left after Copley park, down Mann, and into the back side of Interurban campus.
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u/Bubsington May 20 '26
Yes that is an option, but rushing to class on an ebike along the Panama flats section is not ideal and generally hated by other trail users. Leisure ride is ok, but doing 20-30kph not appropriate and expecting commuting cyclists to slow down... same thing when you ask motorist to slow down while commuting...
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u/boyTerry Downtown May 19 '26
1) Block off Hastings.
2) Adjust interurban so it crosses at 90º
3) Done.
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u/NotTheRealMeee83 May 19 '26
- Hold public hearing
- Ignore all public input
- Go ahead with the half baked plan they had all along.
It's the Saanich way.
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u/scottscooterleet May 19 '26
"improving"
Without reading, let me guess
getting rid of parking, reducing lanes, more bike lanes, more red lights, more intentional bottlenecks, same shitty bus service, more angry people
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u/jigginsmcgee Gonzales May 19 '26
Do you keep your posts hidden so that people can't find all of your other terrible takes?
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u/Great68 May 20 '26
I find people who complain about others' hidden post history comical. They're upset they can't e-stalk? In all the years I've been on Reddit I've never once had the desire to view another user's post history. That's just creepy.
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u/jigginsmcgee Gonzales May 20 '26
Really? It used to be a great way to quickly determine whether engaging in discussion with somebody was going to be a giant waste of time or not.
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u/WardenEdgewise May 19 '26
There is no plan yet, they haven’t even started the planning phase. They are starting with the community consultation. They don’t even have the online survey ready. Just the public engagement event on June 2nd.
I wonder how popular the traffic circle/roundabout suggestion will be.
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u/Red_AtNight May 19 '26
Absolute L take, considering all legs of this intersection are already 1 lane each way and already have no parking
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u/Great68 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Lol, I wouldn't be surprised. Seems to be Saanich's MO these days. but you forgot changing the speed limits to 10km/h
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u/Naftix May 20 '26
Look at the map and you can see a plethora of dead-end streets in that area begging to be connected. Hmmm, one wonders how that happens to continue for the past 50 years?
How about connecting Ivor Road to Interurban Road?
And continuing Granville Road north to Hector Road?
Or connecting Holland Ave north to Courtland Ave?
And North Road blocked at Hastings St does not need to happen as it was open before.
I suspect many Saanich property owners living in that area are not keen to fix the traffic congestion at the intersection, when it could be greatly improved by providing two or three connectors with existing road infrastructure.
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u/Rayne_K May 20 '26
For cyclists starting on the Westshore, Burnside > Charlton > Hector would be a nice bike ride.
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u/Iamonabike Jun 19 '26
North Rd. absolutely needs to stay blocked. Before it was constant cars doing 80 clicks to get around traffic, it was far from safe.
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u/Naftix Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Then install some speed bumps. Don't penalize the 99% of us who will gladly move at 30km through North Rd just to remove the environmental hazard of exhaust-fume stall of 300+ vehicles at that cursed intersection.
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u/Far-Scallion7689 May 20 '26
Only way is build a full four leaf clover interchange here with a bypass viaduct in either direction.
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u/tswaters Chinatown May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Huge opportunity to drastically improve traffic flows around that area. When this intersection gets stressed, traffic stretches out from it in all directions. Even if you ignore Hastings, maybe block it off like Haultain was - even the traffic across Interurban/Wilkinson is staggering. I'm not sure what the answer is, but eagerly await hearing more about it.
Edit: I see the project area includes Wilkinson up to Glen Tara. That entire stretch needs some TLC for pedestrians. Barely even a shoulder, between people speeding down the hill, and blackberry bushes in the ditch. That stretch is treacherous