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RCMP searches for volunteers as Speed Watch starts back up in Sooke

The program, previously shut down due to COVID-19, once again aims to make Sooke streets safer
speedwatch
Speed Watch volunteers  Henry Strong (left) and chairperson Ron Bilinsky keep speeders in check in front of Saseenos Elementary School

The Sooke RCMP in partnership with ICBC is looking for more Speed Watch volunteers to help keep the community, particularly around school zones, a safer place.

Sooke resident Ron Bilinsky, chairperson of the program, has been a Speed Watch volunteer for 12 years. For him, it's a great way to be involved in retirement, socialize and make a difference. 

"It's a really good group of people," Bilinsky said. 

So what does the volunteer work entail?

Speed Watch volunteers work with local police to raise driver awareness of their speed in areas of concern, such as school zones and residential streets.

Meeting once a month with the RCMP, the volunteers are assigned places to monitor based on community tips. A pair then set up a speed board showing drivers how fast they are going. If speeding occurs, the board lights up and flashes at the driver.

The reflective-vested volunteers do not record licence plates; instead, they record how many vehicles they saw and how many were speeding. 

"We're so visible that [typically] everybody slows down. So we basically accomplish our purpose which is to remind people of the speed limit," Bilinsky said. 

Bilinsky added that school zones are where they are particularly needed in Sooke.

"What's unique about Sooke is three of our schools, so John Muir, Sooke Elementary and Edward Milne High School, they're actually on a federal highway," Belinski said. While the normal speed limit is 60 km/h, it is reduced to 40 km/h around those schools. Rush hour traffic can see particularly high numbers of speeders eager to get home.

Bilinsky said that during rush hour, Speed Watch has sometimes caught dozens of speeders on a shift.

Volunteers returned this past September, deploying in Sooke school zones during back-to-school pick-up and drop-off times. Sgt. Greg Wilcox, the Sooke RCMP's detachment commander, championed the return of the Sooke program after it was shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19. He said the group has already checked 1,100 vehicles in one month.

"Speed Watch is an important program in the community that is going to contribute to safer roads in Sooke," he said.

On average, shifts are an hour-and-a-half and volunteers can decide how often they want to do it.

Some volunteers discovered that the mission was something they wanted to dedicate themselves to in the long term, including Bilinsky and another generous volunteer who continued to volunteer after starting in 1987.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the Sooke RCMP at 250-642-5241.



Sam Duerksen

About the Author: Sam Duerksen

Since moving to Victoria from Winnipeg in 2020, I’ve worked in communications for non-profits and arts organizations.
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