The City of Nanaimo has a few transportation improvements in mind, but wants to know first what residents would like.
The city is continuing work on its downtown mobility hub project, which aims to upgrade intersections, add cycle lanes and look at transit and parking in an 800-metre radius around the intersection of Commercial Street and Terminal Avenue.
More public feedback is next on the project’s work flow. Recently, the city looked into accelerating construction of a Front Street bikeway, but decided to hold off on any decision until there had been further consultation.
A city press release notes that the downtown mobility hub is intended to improve “multi-modal transportation” with short-term work.
“Focus areas include intersections, cycling, transit, and parking with the goal of taking concrete steps towards a safe, accessible, inclusive, and interconnected downtown transportation network,” the press release notes.
The city notes that the mobility hub project is informed by both the transportation master plan and the Port Drive waterfront master plan.
“A key goal of the Nanaimo downtown mobility hub project is to prioritize walking and cycling movements, supporting a shift in our downtown transportation system from a car-oriented system to one that is more multi-modal and sustainable – a system that will move downtown into the future,” said Mayor Leonard Krog in the release.
Transportation manager Jamie Rose added in the release that the city encourages citizens to get involved, both to help evaluate initial concepts and to offer input on potential issues or concerns.
A public workshop will be held Nov. 20 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Coast Bastion Hotel. There will be a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Those interested in participating in the workshop are asked to RSVP via e-mail to downtownmobility@nanaimo.ca.
There will also be smaller pop-up feedback opportunities: Nov. 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Woodgrove Centre; Nov. 18, 4-6 p.m., Nanaimo Aquatic Centre; Nov. 19, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Harbourfront Library; and Nov. 21, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Vancouver Island University upper cafeteria.
For more information, visit nanaimo.ca/goto/downtownmobility.
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