Hwy. 19A, or the old Island Hwy. was labelled as a potential roadblock to true connectivity between Parksville's downtown, and its popular waterfront. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

transportation plan

Redesign of Parksville’s Island Hwy seen as avenue to better connect downtown and waterfront

Mar 6, 2024 | 5:26 AM

PARKSVILLE — Local residents are getting another opportunity to shape the future of the community, and how people move through it.

A second round of public consultation and surveys began Tuesday, March 5 in a bid to refine initial ideas and priorities identified late last year.

Consultant with McElhanney Matt Browning said they’re about midway through the process and are poised to deliver a workable plan to Council in the summer or early fall.

“I was delighted that a lot of the responses we got [during the first consultation] were very focused around being active, being safe and being accessible which are three things that are the cornerstone of what we’re trying to achieve.”

A steady stream of local residents attended an open house on Tuesday, March 5, highlighted by a pair of presentations from the City and consultants on the process to date. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Many of the key aspects identified by the roughly 300 residents who submitted phase one surveys, along with the 100 people who attended in person events, surrounded the Island Hwy. running south to north through Parksville.

A considerable number of residents said the highway acts as a barrier for easy movement between the downtown core and prized waterfront areas.

Around half suggested traffic signals could be better coordinated to make it easier to navigate, while 57 per cent wanted pedestrian movements prioritized along the corridor.

Re-designing the roadway is one of many concepts currently on the table, ranging from minimal changes to substantial pedestrian and cycling infrastructure being added.

“I think [the Island Hwy.] is a holdover from its historic past as ‘the’ highway of the Island getting south to north and now that we have the Inland Hwy., there’s a conversation about whether it still needs to fulfill that role or it can be more of a community centred streetscape.”

Four potential re-imaginings of Hwy. 19A through Parksville, including a reduction of vehicle lanes and more pedestrian or cycling infrastructure. (City of Parksville)

A survey currently active through the City’s website asks a series of questions on preferred bike paths, street makeups, amount of lighting, and preferred priorities from Council.

Browning said he was a little surprised so many residents, 78 per cent of respondents, were at least partially willing to see tax increases to fund such upgrades.

However, he said a few commented they likely wouldn’t be alive to fully see the fruits of those investments.

“It’s always nice to see that people are willing to spend to get the benefit. That’s what we’re trying to do, set out a meaningful and practical plan that actually can be implemented, we don’t want to end up with a report on a shelf that never gets looked at or never turns into anything.”

Further engagement is also underway with both the Regional District of Nanaimo and BC Transit, mainly around the old Island Hwy.

Browning said at the end of the day, the goal is to establish a workable vision for Parksville to move forward with.

“Somebody just said [during an earlier engagement session] simply ‘can’t it just be pleasant to move around the city?’ I think that’s a really, really good way to look at things and we should all be striving to enjoy this beautiful place as well.”

Results from phase one engagement are available here.

More overarching information on the proposals and the engagement process is available on the Let’s Talk Parksville website.

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