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Lake Cowichan wants to crack down on speeders — on the Cowichan River

City council trying to curb jet ski speeders showing off through crowds of summer tubers
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Town council is applying to the federal government for permission to erect speed limit signs on the upper Cowichan River. (Citizen file)

It’s not unusual for a Vancouver Island community to lobby hard for a crackdown on speeders on local streets.

Lake Cowichan is taking that concern a bit off the beaten path.

Its town council is poised to apply for new speed limits on the Cowichan River..

“The application to the federal government for the installation of speed limit signs on the upper section of river within the town will be filed in the near future with the goal of having signs appropriately in place by next spring,” confirmed Mayor Bob Day.

Tubers flock to the river — which exits Cowichan Lake through the heart of the town — by the thousands in the summertime, but speed signs? Are they necessary?

“Jet skis tend to come in there from time to time and show off to the tubers,” Day noted.

As for speed limit signs on Cowichan Lake itself, that would be an issue to be discussed at the CVRD as there is very little lake within the Town of Lake Cowichan, he said.

Area F (Cowichan Lake South/Skutz Falls) director Ian Morrison said he isn’t aware of any speed limit sign discussion having to do with the lake itself and did note that as it is a navigable waterway, it’s an issue that needs federal government approval.

Even so, he hasn’t heard of many speed complaints.

“There’s just the usual issues around noise and muscle boats which has been present every year and this year as well,” he noted.



sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

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