A new roundabout is coming to north Nanaimo, at the Hammond Bay Rd. and Brickyard Rd. intersection. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

around we go

‘Significant safety improvement:’ north Nanaimo roundabout approved

Feb 26, 2026 | 1:41 PM

NANAIMO — Another roundabout has been approved in Nanaimo to better control vehicular flow, speeds and improve safety of all road users.

Councillors recently approved $350,000 to install a roundabout at the Hammond Bay Rd. and Brickyard Rd. intersection, following multiple discussions by council and residents regarding the best way to improve traffic flow and enhance overall safety in the area.

Speaking at the Feb. 2 council meeting, City manager of transportation Jamie Rose said they looked at several traffic-calming and pedestrian enhancement options for the area, but only a roundabout meets their desired goals of reducing speed.

“We did consider possibly more controlled signal at the intersection, but none of those actually bring any sort of speed mitigation with them. It’s not just this section of Hammond Bay, it’s consistently along Hammond Bay. It’s just uninterrupted flow. If we can bring speeds down, that’s a significant safety improvement.”

A schematic of the proposed roundabout. (Image Credit: City of Nanaimo)

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The proposal, according to the City, would help reduce traffic congestion and provide easier access to the residential neighbourhood off Brickyard Rd.

The money was allocated from the 2026 Active Transportation Unallocated budget, and the City wants to take advantage of ongoing construction work along Hammond Bay Rd. to install the traffic-calming measure.

Rose told NanaimoNewsNOW they are working with the contractor to determine a timeline for when construction of the roundabout can begin.

Coun. Hilary Eastmure was the lone vote against the motion when it came before the Monday, Feb. 23 meeting, citing continued concerns about what would work best in the area.

“I have seen a lot of different takes on this, and I just still remain unconvinced that this is the right location for this and I’m concerned about pedestrian safety around this roundabout, so I just can’t support it at this time.”

The City wants to install the roundabout while utility work is currently ongoing along Hammond Bay Rd. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

City reports indicated the majority speed in the area was about 63 kilometres per hour, with the speed limit for the entire stretch of Hammond Bay Rd. set at 50 kilometres per hour.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong first had concerns about the proposal, and said during the Feb. 2 meeting, 13 kilometres over the speed limit on average was “not huge”, but supported the plan when it returned to council on Monday.

“I’ve looked into it further. Pedestrians were a concern. I’ve spoke with Mr. Rose, done a lot of research. I’m not concerned about the single roundabout, so I’ll be voting in favour of this cause I do think it will assist with what we require.”

The plan was referred to the Public Safety Committee for further review prior to Monday’s meeting, but no recommendations on this matter were made.

Roundabouts have increased in popularity in Nanaimo in recent years, where there are currently five in place.

According to the city, reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities, as well as increasing intersection capacity are among benefits of roundabouts.

A handful of smaller neighbourhood traffic circles are also established in Nanaimo.

Nanaimo’s last roundabout to be constructed was the widely acclaimed Mary Ellen Dr. device between the Woodgrove Centre and Woodgrove Crossing shopping centres in April 2023.

An ICBC tutorial on how all road users can safely use roundabouts is available here.

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