Page 14— Ha-Shilth-Sa—July 04, 2019
Phase two of Cathedral Grove sees ideas for bypass Counts from the past three summers show parking demand often reaches twice the area’s capacity in daytime By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor Port Alberni, BC - Two more open houses have just wrapped up where the public had the opportunity to review and evaluate preliminary ideas to improve safety and access at Cathedral Grove. More than 500 people submitted ideas to improve safety and access at Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park during consultations that began in fall 2018. The open houses were part of Phase 2 of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s (MoTI) engagement process. They took place in Parksville on June 19 and Port Alberni on June 20 and saw approximately 50 people attend. At these open houses, the MoTI showcased a number of options to address traffic and pedestrian safety concerns at Cathedral Grove, while protecting the integrity of the park. “The ministry is seeking feedback from the public on these options, which will be considered as part of the further assessment work, leading towards a preferred solution,” said the MoTI in an emailed statement. “The feedback from the open houses was positive and there was plenty of support on the ministry’s approach to developing options. Members of the public were also pleased to see their suggestions from the first round of engagement represented in the options that were presented.” The ministry will be publishing the results of the second round of engagement on their website in late summer. After analyzing the strengths and challenges of each idea, the MoTI presented the most feasible suggestions for further public discussion during phase 2. Ideas for discussion varied from shortterm safety improvements like improved signage, traffic calming and enforcement, to more medium to long-term measures, including pedestrian overpass ideas, various existing parking area improvements, additional parking capacity and bypass options. Although several participants suggested a bypass could reduce traffic traveling through Cathedral Grove, the MoTI, in a safety study, say the scale, complexity and cost would not allow implementation of a bypass in the short-term.
Photo by Karly Blats
A provincial government study into ways to make Cathedral Grove safer is exporing suggestions from the public, such as an expanded parking lot and a pedestrian bridge. The first phase of the Cathedral Grove Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Study focused on listening and understanding. The goal was to work with participants to identify potential ideas that address both safety concerns and protection of Cathedral Grove’s inherent values. Public ideas from the first phase included 316 suggestions to relocate or add parking to a different area, 138 suggestions for more trails to connect to parking and provide safe routes, 290 suggestions to consider a pedestrian overpass or underpass, 255 suggestions to consider a highway bypass around the park and 124 comments about protecting old growth trees. Cathedral Grove, at the edge of the Nuuchah-nulth territory, is world-renowned for its giant old-growth Douglas Firs, which attract approximately 500,000 visitors annually. Most visitors arrive by vehicle, park along Highway 4 and cross the highway to visit both sides of the
park. On an average summer day, over a two-hour period, about 530 pedestrians cross the highway in Cathedral Grove in unauthorized locations. Counts form the past three summers, show parking demand often reaches twice the area’s capacity in the summer between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and periodic traffic counts show a steady increase in the number of vehicles passing through
Cathedral grove. The ministry will use the public input from Phase 2 of the engagement to reduce the long list of options to a short list of preferred aproaches that would be shared with the public in a third round of engagement in the fall of 2019. British Columbians can provide input until July 31st at https://engage.gov.bc.ca/ cathedralgrove/.
Annual walk continues for missing Lisa Marie Young Photo by Eric Plummer
Nanaimo, BC — Dozens of loved ones and members of the extended Tla-oqui-aht community held a walk for Lisa Marie Young on Sunday, June 30, 17 years after the young woman went missing without a trace in Nanaimo. The procession began at the Nanaimo RCMP station at 303 Prideaux St. just after 2 p.m., taking over one lane of the street as the group made their way to the city’s waterfront under a hot sun. The family of Young has held a walk in her honour since 2003, the year after the 21 year old disappeared one night in Nanaimo. The case has stood as a telling reminder of the national phenomen of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls that has affected communties across Canada. Other Nuu-chah-nulth women were also recognized during the June 30 walk.