Image: City of Chilliwack / A new speed limit sign in Garrison.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Slowing things down

New speed limits go into effect in two Chilliwack neighbourhoods

Nov 19, 2025 | 7:00 AM

CHILLIWACK — Following approval by municipal councillors last month, the City of Chilliwack is moving forward with a pilot to reduce speed limits in Garrison and Fairfield Island for a one-year span.

Councillors had been asked to vote at their meeting on October 21 to lower the speed limit to 40 km/h in designated areas of the two neighbourhoods.

Several cities across Canada such as Duncan, Nelson, Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, and Edmonton have already instituted speed limit reduction pilots, or completed broad-based regulatory speed limit reductions, a city staff report pointed out. A city staff report from October 2025 suggests that communities with reduced speeds experienced a reduction in injury collisions of about 4-11 per cent. These communities also noted an increase in the perception of safety, leading to greater uptake in active transportation activities like kids walking to school.

As a result of the vote by councillors, the City of Chilliwack says it has launched the speed limit reduction pilot project this week as part of its “Vision Zero” goal of eliminating fatalities and injuries on Chilliwack roads.

In a statement, the city argues the pilot is a “simple and cost-effective” step to lower the speed limit from 50 km/h to 40 km/h in the two test areas of Garrison Crossing and Fairfield Island.

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Image: City of Chilliwack / Garrison’s speed reduction pilot area.

Chilliwack’s one-year pilot project will collect and measure speed data, gather resident feedback, and gauge program support.

“The City has recently renewed its commitment to road safety citywide through several avenues, such as a new traffic calming policy; adopting new road design standards to better protect pedestrians and slow down drivers; and our commitment to Vision Zero, which is a goal of zero injuries and fatalities on the City’s roads,” said Mayor Ken Popove. “I am excited to see how this new Speed Limit Reduction Pilot will help us to come closer to achieving our shared road safety goals”.

Image: City of Chilliwack / Fairfield Island’s speed reduction area.

The default regulatory speed limit in BC is 50km/h unless otherwise posted, and was established in the 1930s when the provincial Motor Vehicle Act established a provincial speed limit. While that speed limit might be fine for major roads, it doesn’t apply everywhere.

The city says Garrison was chosen to represent an area with existing traffic calming measures in its road design, as well as sidewalks. The Fairfield Island area was chosen for its wider and straighter streets, many of which do not have sidewalks. By piloting speed reductions in two distinct areas, the city will seek to better understand how drivers respond in different types of neighbourhood environments and street designs.

Speed Watch volunteers will be out with radar gear in both Garrison Crossing and Fairfield Island to help remind drivers about the new lower speed limit in these areas.