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Finding a safe travel speed when road conditions are iffy can be a hard call.
I can recall responding to a crash on a icy divided highway where both the ambulance and I were in the left lane.
Even with the urgency of the situation, travelling at 95 in the posted 110 km/h zone felt the appropriate to both of us, due to the road conditions. This was clearly not the case for other drivers, as we were passed a number of times by vehicles using the right hand lane.
In 2016, we will see the introduction of variable speed limits (VSL) on highways in British Columbia.
Slated for implementation on segments of the Sea to Sky, Coquihalla and Trans Canada highways, the speed limit will be shown on electronic speed signs that can be changed remotely, based on existing weather conditions.
Data for the changes will be gathered through pavement and visibility sensors installed in these highway segments. Operations staff with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will use the data to change the speed limit displayed to one that is appropriate for safety for the current road conditions.
Experience with VSL elsewhere indicates that it is generally well-received by drivers, and results in safety improvement. VSL is especially effective if variable message signs indicate why the change has occurred.
One drawback appears to be a tendency to create greater speed variance between vehicles.
Another issue is that to remain effective, speed enforcement needs to be sufficient to maintain compliance.
Perhaps highway segments with VSL would be an ideal opportunity to introduce time over distance automated speed enforcement (if a driver goes between two points in less than the appropriate time, they get a ticket). Automated enforcement could increase compliance and maintain uniformity in application without increasing risk.
The author is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. To comment or learn more, please visit drivesmartbc.ca
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
