Highways in rural areas, such as the Coquihalla, could have their speed limits changed following a review of traffic speeds on longer stretches of highways outside communities.

The review wants to hear from British Columbians on three issues: speed limits on provincial highways, slower moving vehicles impeding traffic and reducing collisions between motorists and wildlife, said Todd Stone, minister of transportation and infrastructure.

“This review is not about increasing speed limits. It’s about ensuring that we have the right speed limits,” he said Friday in a conference call.

He said research on highway speeds shows that if the limit is set at the right level, drivers will comply with it.

“If you’re not keeping up with the flow or driving beyond, you pose a greater risk to yourselves and others,” he said.

Stone said speed limits will be reviewed only on longer stretches of rural provincial highways. Speed limits on provincial highways through major urban centres won’t be reviewed, he said.

Starting in November, the ministry will be seeking public input at eight public forums in Kamloops, Chilliwack, Nanaimo, Prince George, Dawson Creek, Vancouver, Kelowna and Cranbrook.

Stone, the MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson, singled out the Island Highway and the Coquihalla Highway as likely candidates for speed-limit reviews.

“As someone who has lived in Kamloops for 25 years and someone who drives the Coquihalla often, there is no question that the Coquihalla is a prime candidate for an adjustment in the speed limits,” he said.

In the last review of highway speed limits in 2003, the Coquihalla was chosen as a highway where sections could have the limit increased from 110 km/h to 120 km/h. However, the speed limit on the Coquihalla has not changed and remains at 110 km/h.

Stone said the government has no intention of bringing back photo radar in any form.

Ian Tootill, co-founder of an advocacy group for motorists, said he would like to see speed limits set at the 85th percentile. He described that as a measurement of the speed of traffic over a period of time translated into a bell curve. It results in a speed limit that encompasses 85 per cent of the traffic.

“If the speed limit is set properly, (it) should seem fast to the majority of motorists,” he said.

Tootill, whose group is called Safety by Education Not Speed Enforcement, or SENSE, didn’t want to say what speed he would like to see on the Coquihalla between Hope and Kamloops.

“I can tell you this: If the ministry ends up tacking on a speed limit of 120 on that road, it will be a complete failure,” he said. “They’ll find that the majority will disobey that limit.”

The ministry said in a release that a technical review will be part of the speed-limit review. It will include assessments of current speeds, safety history, highway alignment and traffic volume. Speed limits based on the seasons and vehicle type will also be explored.

Slower vehicles can cause driver frustration, the release said, including vehicles driven in the left hand lane. The review will look at what the public considers slow-moving vehicles, what sections of highways are of particular concern, and what should be done about it, such as enforcement or public education.