North Saanich - Road Mural Response

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Thanks for the inquiry regarding road murals.  Given this would seem to be a relatively new concept and that we are a relatively small and mostly rural municipality, we do not currently have any specific policy or bylaw regarding road murals that we can share with you.  I can however share a few initial thoughts:

 

1. As a starting point we often refer to existing policies in other, larger jurisdictions to give us a guideline.  In this case, we may consult with Victoria to see if their policy would be applicable/useful to us.

2. Initially, I believe we would review requests to install road murals on a case-by-case basis with the likely following considerations (if we decided to permit them at all):

   1. We would likely have a conversation with our Council to determine if there is general support for these kinds of installations.  Staff would likely put together a brief report outlining advantages/concerns with the concept.

   2. Installations would certainly be limited to local roads.  No installations would be permitted on arterial or collector roads.

   3. The murals would have to be sited so as not to compromise road safety or conflict with any other road markings/signage.

   4. Many of our local roads are chip-seal surfaced which could make road murals a bit more challenging to install.  These surfaces also tend to be renewed on a more frequent basis than asphalt/concrete.

   5. An individual would need to submit application and take responsibility for the installation.  A construction/damage deposit would likely need to be provided, a $1,000 is typical and may be appropriate.  There may be a requirement for a recognized professional artist to complete the installation and take responsibility for the work.  One would expect this would likely increase acceptance/support for installations in the community.

   6. A plan/design would be required to be submitted including materials and equipment to be used and schedule for completion.

   7. We would require signatures of support from the overwhelming majority of property owners on the street/block.  This would be similar to the requirements typically used for a street closure for a block party for example.  The proposed plan/design would need to be circulated as part of the petition.

   8. There would be no commitment on behalf of the municipality to maintain/protect/replace the road mural.

 

Those are some initial thoughts that come to mind.  However, there are a number of other issues to address in the community that would have a much higher priority than facilitating/regulating the installation of road murals.