New pavement and road markings were also installed at the intersection. (City of Parksville)

By Jordan Davidson

traffic change

‘It’s free movement in any direction now:’ new four-way stop a safer way through Parksville’s downtown

May 20, 2022 | 4:20 PM

PARKSVILLE —Motorists in downtown Parksville will now have an easier time accessing the Alberni Hwy. following the addition of a new four-way stop.

The new-look intersection on the Alberni Hwy. at Hirst Ave W., was revealed on Thursday May 19 as part of the latest step to revitalize downtown Parksville.

Ayla Defoor, engineering technologist with the City of Parksville, said the change was recommended in a 2016 Transportation Master Plan, which noted restrictive sightlines at the intersection as a major factor.

“It used to be a two-way stop on Hirst at Alberni, so Hirst had the stop signs, but if you were going eastbound on…there were turn restrictions there, so you were only allowed to turn right out of that intersection.”

A combination of on-street parking, the curve of Alberni Hwy. leading out of town, and the Rodd & Gunn Bar & Grill all contributed to those poor sightlines.

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The four-way stop also eliminates the right-turn-only sign located on Hirst Ave. for motorists wishing to turn south.

Defoor said drivers were making illegal turns there anyway.

“People were trying to turn left illegally against the right turn only signs because people want to go northbound there, it’s just a natural movement.”

She said turn restrictions from other downtown streets in the area also led to further frustration for drivers, which complements the new four-way stop sign.

“So Hirst is really the best place to have everybody turning in whatever direction they want, and the four-way stop allows that. They can turn left, they can go straight, and they can turn right from any of those four directions, it’s free movement in any direction now.”

Defoor told NanaimoNewsNOW it’s a big improvement over the previous traffic conditions.

“People were going through the publically owned parking lot to go from Hirst to Memorial to turn left off of Memorial onto the Alberni Hwy., which was an illegal movement at the time, but the sightlines at Memorial and Alberni were actually quite poor, below our standards, so people were making some slightly more risky movement.”

According to ICBC, there were nine crashes at Alberni Hwy at Hirst Ave. W intersection between 2016 and 2020.

There were 119 crashes along the Alberni Hwy. in Parksville’s downtown core over the same time period.

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