Three months in, there aren’t any official numbers on the new trio of roundabouts that make up the McTavish interchange, but emergency services professionals are confident in what they’ve seen so far.
“We’ve had a few minor crashes reported in the roundabouts — nothing with serious injuries,” said Cpl. Chris Swain of the Sidney North Saanich RCMP. “The roundabouts have not increased our collision rates by any means and we don’t expect them to.”
According to local RCMP records, officers have been called to only two crashes at the McTavish interchange from its opening April 9 until June 30. Over the same timeframe last year, officers were called three times to accidents at the McTavish Road and Pat Bay Highway lighted intersection. In 2008 and 2009, before construction began, RCMP were called to the intersection five times between April 9 and June 30 each year.
“When the lights were there, we had a lot of rear end collisions when the traffic got congested there,” Swain said. “Those obviously don’t occur anymore.”
He expects that as people become more accustomed to using the traffic circles the minor incidents will decrease as well.
“You need to be aware of the other users of the road and yield to them as you enter the roundabout,” Swain said. “If you miss your turn go around once and take the scenic route.”
The North Saanich Volunteer Fire Department has responded to two “fender benders” on the Lochside Road roundabout on the exit off the highway headed north, said fire chief Gary Wilton.
“The accidents are not only fewer but far less severe,” Wilton added.
While some minor crashes likely go unreported to police or fire, ICBC doesn’t yet have claims statistics to compare between the lighted intersection and the new interchange, primarily because the changes are so recent, and people have years to submit a claim.