A new, long-lasting Pride crosswalk is now installed at the Bastion St. and Commercial St. intersection, replacing a painted-on version which was not as resilient to wear, tear and vandalism. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

lasting legacy

New Nanaimo Pride crosswalk makes triumphant debut

Jun 9, 2025 | 4:10 PM

NANAIMO — The long wait for the return of the city’s pride crosswalk has finally come to an end.

Officially debuted during the Pride Parade through downtown Nanaimo on Sunday, June 8, the approximately 15 square metre design, based on the New Progress Pride Flag, is now centre stage at the corner of Bastion St. and Commercial Ave.

James Knight, City project manager for the Commercial St. redesign, told NanaimoNewsNOW the design is more durable and will last considerably longer than previous iterations, which were just painted on.

“The new material that’s put been put down is thermoplastic, and it has synthetic corundum in it, which provides that gritty feel, which is great for traction and also longevity. The thermoplastic, which is about three millimetres thick, is coloured all the way through, so as it wears, the colour will be maintained.”

Installed by melting two foot by two foot panels into the roadway, the new Pride flag design is made of a special thermoplastic material roughly three millimetres thick. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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The three millimetre-thick plastic came to the site in two-foot by two-foot panels, which were laid out and effectively melted into the street.

Knight said radiant heat guns got the material up to around 380 degrees Fahrenheit (193 degrees Celsius), allowing it to bond into the road surface.

“The product itself is expected to last quite a long time. The manufacturer has told us that 15 to 20 years in high traffic areas is completely expected, and with this intersection having relatively low traffic counts, it’s expected to last even longer than that.”

It’s also resistant to vandalism, with pressure washing able to easily remove paint added on top.

The previous crosswalk was painted onto the road surface, making it susceptible to vandalism, including a July 2021 incident where black lines were painted over the rainbow stripes.

Concrete roadways, pavers and more are designed to open up Commercial St. substantially, especially for larger events such as the annual Night Market. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Despite being opened for the parade, the area was closed down immediately after and will remain so for at least the next few weeks.

Knight said progress is being made with pavers and concrete work on both sides of Bastion St.

Commercial St. is expected to be open to pedestrians for the launch of the annual Night Market, beginning June 19, but a full re-opening will happen at a later date.

Knight said the project has been challenging.

“With the roadway being over 150 years old, we encountered quite a few unexpected surprises when we started digging from large concrete vaults to storm sewer connections that were just going into the ground, not connected to anything, to old wooden conduits and just a lot of undocumented materials.”

Concrete work between Church St. and Wharf St. is completed, according to Knight, with final touchups expected over the coming weeks.

Concrete work continues on Commercial St., however work crews say the end of the project is in sight. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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