NNN Last 10: Transportation expansions changing the way Nanaimo moves

Hullo’s maiden voyage was on Aug. 16, 2023, and NanaimoNewsNOW was on it.

Since then, Hullo workers have unionized, while the area around their terminal on Port Way in Nanaimo continues to transform and make partners within the community.

As the mid-Island population increased, so did BC Transit bus routes.

Early expansions included service to Cassidy and the Nanaimo Airport, adding 5,900 transit hours in early 2020, while a more expansive and much-requested route into Duncan was being formulated, with the Nanaimo to Cowichan Valley transit route coming online in 2022.

The Regional District of Nanaimo continued discussions with nearby regional districts to make island-wide public transit a working reality.

Following a successful first year, thousands of additional transit hours on expanded routes continued to be added, connecting the mid-Island with communities north and south of Nanaimo, including on Sundays and statutory holidays, and making transit free for riders under 18 starting in September.

Nanaimo began researching active transportation routes, commonly referred to as bike lanes, as early as 2014, with the adoption of the Transportation Master Plan to get more residents regularly using bikes by providing appropriate infrastructure.

Community groups and local First Nations continue to work on a vision to bring active transportation routes along the E&N rail line.

Nanaimo’s goal of being able to ride a bike from one end of the city to the other gets closer every year, adding connections into the southern half of the city and beyond, with a recent announcement expanding the E&N Trail into Chase River.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW staff

NNN Last 10: Transportation expansions changing the way Nanaimo moves

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