Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne is pleased with a new pilot program that will encourage slow drivers to pull over and let commuters pass along Highway 4. The Province plans to use Highway 4 as a guinea pig for new signage that tells drivers to use the next pullout if they're holding up five or more vehicles.
The road from Port Alberni to the West Coast can be intimidating to first time visitors who take it slow and increase the road rage levels of commuters trapped behind them.
Highway 4 is peppered with pullouts designed to allow slower drivers to let faster ones pass but not all drivers are aware of what these pullouts are or when they should be used.
Osborne suggested an educational component could be brought in along with the signage to bring visitors, particularly those traveling in RV's, up to speed on the rules of the road like using pullouts and pulling over to view wildlife instead of causing "bear-jams."
As was recently reported in the Westerly, local police are turning a keen eye towards slow drivers and anyone found holding up traffic will face a $109 fine.
Osborne said at least one of Highway 4's pullouts is being modified for safety and an additional pullout will be installed near Kennedy Lake.
The signage and pullouts are part of the ministry of transportation's Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review, according to Osborne.
"It's nice to see the ministry taking our concerns about pullouts and safety seriously," she said.
reporter@westerlynews.ca