A view looking down Departure Bay Rd. toward Loat St. The west side of a portion of Departure Bay Rd. will have a dedicated bike lane in the coming months. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Street beat

Active transportation projects greenlit for three Nanaimo streets

Jul 15, 2020 | 6:03 AM

NANAIMO — Alterations to three streets in Nanaimo to improve access and safety for non-vehicular traffic are expected to be in place this fall.

Councillors approved $170,000 worth of initiatives in their Monday, July 13 meeting. The funds will create a bike lane on Departure Bay Rd.,establish a “Slow Street” on Georgia Ave. and add a walking shoulder to Boxwood Rd.

The funds already included in this year’s budget come from existing projects, including initiatives unable to proceed this year, according to the City.

Coun. Ben Geselbracht was vocally in favour of the changes, pointing to the need to improve infrastructure to encourage people to walk and cycle more.

“That’s a primary priority for us is to create a safe city,” Geselbracht said, who noted a large barrier for proceeding with active transportation is the perception reallocating road space is a hassle for drivers.

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Coun. Ian Thorpe was the lone dissenting voice to the spending packages, stating he can’t support active transportation projects at expense of impeding vehicle traffic or reduce parking.

“I don’t think the safety for everybody is redistributing road space,” Thorpe said. “When we choke down roads, drivers just get more frustrated and take more chances.”

Departure Bay bike lane

A staff report showed Departure Bay Rd. between Loat St. and Montrose Ave. heading south will have a nearly nearly two metre buffered bike lane in place marked by two parallel lines.

A sidewalk is in place on the other side of the road. Space restrictions prevented bike lanes on both sides.

The City’s active transportation project specialist Madeleine Koch said the northbound portion of Departure Bay Rd. through the area will remain unchanged.

“Since this is a downhill, confident cyclists are able to keep pace with traffic while riding in that section,” Koch said.

The Departure Bay Rd. initiative is budgeted at $40,000.

Georgia Ave. “Slow Street”

Council agreed to reduce the speed limit on Georgia Ave., install two temporary traffic calming circles and implement pedestrian crossing enhancements at Fourth St., Fifth St., and Harewood Rd.

The City sees the measures as an effective completion to the Georgia Ave. Greenway project addressed in 2019. The project included a bridge and trail network over the Chase River as part of a priority walking and biking corridor.

The three Georgia Ave. projects are budgeted at $85,000.

Boxwood Rd. walking shoulder

Council endorsed a walking shoulder to be included on the increasingly busy industrial section of Boxwood Rd. between Tulsa Rd. and the roundabout at Dufferin Cres.

The initiative would eliminate parking, however the City’s transportation manager Jamie Rose noted a parking study found ample supply in the area.

Despite the findings, the City reported local opposition to implementing the walking shoulder identified by parallel white lines.

The Boxwood Rd. walking shoulder project will cost Nanaimo taxpayers $45,000.

Combined annual maintenance costs of all of the projects are pegged by the City at $16,000.

The City’s director of public works Bill Sims told NanaimoNewsNOW it’s hoped work will begin on the projects in August with a completion goal by early fall, barring logistical challenges.

ian@nanamonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes