TMP - Phase 1 Results

We are pleased with the progress to date and thank the public for their input into Phase 1 which included a public open house and survey. With the insights gained from
Phase 1, we move into the second phase of the transportation master plan process which is Where do we want to go?

During this phase, we will forecast future demands based on the Official Community Plan and other projections of growth within the City and broader region and assess the impacts to the transportation network. Phase 2 begins with a second public engagement session for residents on Tuesday, March 5 where we will present the emerging recommendations to receive input and adjust our approach based on community input and this engagement will be captured in What We Heard report #2. This phase will explore opportunities to address identified challenges and meet community priorities, with recommended approaches developed and assessed. An online survey will also be provided in Phase 2 engagement.

What We Heard Report #1
The first round of engagement involved a five-hour public open house on November 8, 2023, attended by about 100 residents. The open house included presentations of the base conditions assessment work as well as extensive questions and answers and discussion time to hear thoughts and insights from the community. The information presented at this open house is available here.

Following the open house, several meetings were held with interested community groups and agency representatives to receive specific feedback and input. Detailed notes of those sessions are available in the What We Heard report #1.

Aside from general questions about the process, some of the key takeaways from community engagement are detailed here:

The Island Highway acts as a barrier to movement between the downtown and the waterfront, especially for families and those with mobility challenges.
There are concerns about the new provincial legislation regarding an increase in housing and how this may translate to Parksville.
Scheduled stop times should be kept for transit service at key locations to make it more reliable.
Opportunities to take traffic off Highway 19A should be explored as there still needs to be capacity to move across the City; the Jensen Avenue extension has been looked at in the past but never implemented.
Safety, especially for people with accessibility issues, within the community is paramount and speeding (particularly along the Island Highway) was flagged multiple times as an issue.
Better bike infrastructure would mean fewer bikes on sidewalks, which is a safety concern for pedestrians.
Existing sidewalk design needs to be improved. Examples include curb cuts that often drop down to the corner of the intersection, rather than being aligned with the crosswalk, and obstacles within the sidewalk that make movement difficult.
The sidewalk surface can often be an uncomfortable experience for those in mobility scooters, which leads to them using the roadway (where no bike lane is present)
The connectivity between Resort Drive and Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park and the downtown is seen as being unsafe, particularly for families.
Moving through the City should be a pleasant experience.

In addition to the in-person engagement, a public survey was made available on the City’s website and Let’s Talk Parksville to collect responses from residents. With about 300 completed surveys, the feedback was extremely helpful in better understanding how mobility in Parksville is perceived. Some key highlights from the survey responses are detailed here:

Of the 52% of respondents who felt the Island Highway signals should be re-coordinated, 57% suggested pedestrian crossing movements should be prioritized.
Walking is the preferred mode of active transportation, with 70% of respondents stating it as their most frequent mode. Almost 60% of respondents indicated active transportation was primarily for recreation.
Close to 95% of respondents indicated they ride transit infrequently or never.
On parking, around 18% of respondents indicated they are unable to find parking within a reasonable distance of their destination daily. 56% said this happens infrequently.
Pedestrian and cyclist safety dominated concerns, with 87% of respondents stating these as being their primary concern (over vehicular).
78% of respondents stated they would, at least partly, be willing to fund upgrades and improvements through increased taxes.

The overwhelming majority of respondents expressed a desire for Parksville to become a walkable, vibrant, well-connected, and accessible community with a small-town feel. Specifically, respondents identified the following aspirations and ideas for the future (twenty years) of Parksville:

World-class bike and pedestrian friendly community with dependable transit, and less cars.
City which provides for all types of transportation and has adequate parking available to the downtown to support businesses.
Community where people WANT to walk and cycle because it is the BEST WAY to go into the downtown.
Waterfront trail system from French Creek to Rathtrevor Beach.
Create a ‘ring road’ from McMillan, through Jensen and connecting to McVickers.
Dedicated bike lanes, frequent reliable transit, pedestrian friendly downtown core.
Developments planned as complete neighbourhoods to reduce reliance on vehicles for mobility.
“I would like to be able to safely go downtown with my family using active transportation and feel safe and respected.”
More parking spaces.
More wheelchair access to the beach so people can actually go out on the beach.
No highways intersecting the City.
Slow down the traffic.

Based on community feedback, these core themes define the priorities for the TMP moving forward:

ACTIVE - Residents want a walkable downtown that is well-connected to key destinations around the City through a complete network of bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Specifically, connectivity to Rathtrevor Beach and the Parksville Community Park are very important.

BALANCED - While the City should be bike- and pedestrian-friendly, there is a need to provide access for drivers, deliveries, and emergency vehicles to the downtown core where parking should be conveniently located to support the business community. Changes to the Island Highway need to be balanced by travel opportunities on other corridors.

SAFE - The City should be a safe and pleasant environment to move through, with appropriate speed limits consistently enforced, improved lighting, protected and/or dedicated bike facilities, a comprehensive tree canopy, and enhanced crossing opportunities on busy corridors.

ACCESSIBLE – Parksville’s median age (63.6) is notably higher than the BC average (43.1) and as such there are many residents with mobility challenges who utilize mobility scooters and other devices to get around. Design improvements need to be cognizant of this and provide infrastructure which is universally accessible.