The District of Sooke has been tracking travel times at key periods and has contracted both a traffic engineer and an engineering firm to address ongoing complaints about chronic vehicle congestion in the area.
Two new members of the district’s engineering department hired to fill existing vacancies will be tasked with looking at the traffic problem, said chief administrative officer Raechel Gray.
Gray said she has met with the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce and a community transportation committee to discuss ideas for tackling the issue.
Public concerns about traffic congestion both in Sooke and the Highway 14 connection to Langford have come to a head in recent months, spurring a petition that has collected close to 3,000 signatures.
“To the community, I know this period is challenging and asking for patience is a lot,” Gray said. “Please know that we are exhausting all avenues to improve our local roads and related service delivery, but it will take time to navigate.”
Chamber of Commerce president Tracy Snow said she appreciates the work that Gray and others have been doing.
“It really shows an initiative to want to solve these issues,” Snow said. “I’m glad for the communication being open because it allows our community to know what the plans are, and that it’s not just falling on deaf ears.”
She said the district monitored road congestion on a sample weekday from about 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., but she would like to see something similar done during the school year since there are three schools that add traffic to Sooke Road.
“We are seeing a little bit less congestion with school being out right now,” Snow said.
The monitoring exercise, which will be ongoing, covers a route from Belmont Secondary School in Langford to Sooke Municipal Hall on Otter Point Road.
Driving times to cover the route ranged from 26 minutes at 2:15 p.m. to 40 minutes at 4:35 p.m. to 22 minutes at 6:52 p.m.
Traffic in the area has become so bad, businesses raised $10,000 to tackle the problem, presenting the donation at a recent council meeting.
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said council gratefully declined because it already has staff and funds to address the traffic issue, and urged the donors to use the money for their own efforts.
Chris Bryant, a longtime Sooke resident, said Highway 14 faces similar problems to the Malahat — both involve a single route that can get bogged down in busy periods.
Like many others, Bryant, a dentist, said traffic congestion has affected his business, causing patients to miss appointments due to the constant delays.
For some, they can’t get another appointment for months because the office is busy, Bryant said.
He noted that Sooke Road hasn’t changed much in a long time, and any move to widen it could lead to a considerable amount of property having to be expropriated.
One of the prime factors affecting traffic is ongoing work on Charters Road, which bisects Highway 14 just west of SEAPARC Recreation Centre.
Tait said the district is aiming to have Charters Road open “as soon as we can.”
“The culvert’s in, they’re building up the retaining walls,” she said. “Utilities like the hydro lines are also being installed.”
She said the work couldn’t be put off because the road was in such rough shape, and there is a limited window to do it while protecting nearby Charters Creek.
Engineering staff have been speaking with the province about potential Highway 14 improvements, including dedicated westbound transit and a right-turn lane from the Sooke River Bridge to Church Road.
Council has approached provincial cabinet ministers about such measures as bridge expansions, alternative routes, rapid-bus service and improved access points at schools to ease traffic tie-ups, the district said.
The district is seeking residents’ input on traffic solutions and barriers to transit use as it prepares for the 2025 budget.
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