Chris Thompson took on Fight HST and now he's targeting B.C. speed limits in a viral video in which he claims they're are "artificially low."
"Speed Kills Your Pocketbook," a 15-minute video that has garnered over 400,000 views on YouTube, argues that while 50 kilometres an hour makes sense in urban Vancouver areas like Commercial Drive, it's too low for streets like Marine Drive, a six-lane isolated road where drivers often travel at high speeds.
"We need rules on the roads. But if we're paying for these roads, we have the right to demand that these rules make sense," Thompson says in the video.
His argument rests on two points: first, roads are safest when everyone is travelling the same speed; second, if speed limits are below the upper limit of the safe majority, "the people who do the speed limit become hazards to themselves and others."
B.C.'s speed limits are generally 50 kilometres an hour within municipalities and 80 kilometres an hour outside them, while highway limits range anywhere from 50 to 110 kilometres an hour.
"Speed Kills Your Pocketbook" was released Tuesday by Sense B.C., a group that is arguing for speed restrictions that reflect the upper limit of safe travel speeds.
Co-founder Ian Tootill told The Province the video has struck a chord among drivers because "everybody intuitively knows that speed limits are not right."
The video comes after B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone launched the first review of the province's speed limits in over a decade, CTV News reported.
Stone has directed staff to review both the limits and the policies behind those limits and hopes to have a list of recommendations by next spring.
Premier Christy Clark supports Stone's initiative, saying residents in the Okanagan, where she holds a seat, have told her the limits are too low.
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