Victoria police arrested three protestors with Save Old Growth Monday morning for blocking northbound traffic on Douglas Street.

Approximately 20 members of Save Old Growth gathered on the sidewalk at the Finlayson and Douglas streets intersection at 7:45 a.m. Monday morning (April 4) and took turns blocking the three northbound lanes.

“There has been no action or statement from the government and so disruption of the highway will resume at an escalated intensity, starting this morning,” Save Old Growth said in a news release. Its goal is to see B.C. legislate the end of all provincial old-growth logging.

Last year, the province identified 2.6 million hectares of old-growth forest at heightened risk of disappearance and as of April 1, deferred 1.7 million hectares from logging.

Tensions on Douglas Street were high, said one protestor, noting onlookers and drivers were more vocal than at any of the other six Save Old Growth blockades that have taken place since January.

The Victoria Police Department arrested three women for mischief, according to a VicPD release. They were later released with a court date. During the first wave of protests in January, Save Old Growth said 54 of its supporters were arrested across the province.

READ ALSO: UPDATE: Old-growth demonstrators arrested, traffic resumes on Douglas Street in Victoria

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Mostly elder crowd shows love for old-growth forests with Victoria legislature rally

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Traffic was backed up Douglas Street during Save Old Growth’s April 4 protest. (Courtesy Save Old Growth)