Paving done on BC Parkway!

BC Parkway (also known as the 7-Eleven Trail) could be a great trail, but it really isn’t. It has three main problems:

1. The paving is ruined by tree roots, making the trail so bumpy you have to be careful of doing yourself an injury.
2. It is atrociously badly sign-posted – the first time I used it I had to follow someone, just to figure out the route. Which was unfortunate, because I think I inadvertently scared a young woman cyclist.
3. Occasionally one is expected to fly over obstacles, such as at Nanaimo Skytrain station, where the route simply disappears on one side of the street, then picks up again on the other side of the road – with a Skytrain station, a bus stop and dozens of pedestrians in the middle.

Imagine my happy surprise this evening to find that someone is doing something about problem no. 1.  Behold this newly-paved splendour! It’s so fresh that some of the tar was melting in the afternoon sun.

This part of the BC Parkway,  parallel to Rumble Street, used to be one of the worst offenders in terms of bumpy rides. Riding along there, I thought I could empathize with an egg being egg-beaten. And the only alternative was to join fast-moving traffic on Rumble.

The map shows the spot I am talking about. The route depicted (in red) is one I did last week, when the route was closed, and I was forced to bike along Rumble.

But now the green route above it is complexly repaved and a pleasure to ride on. Turns out they closed the trail in order to fix it!

Thank you whoever did this! BC Parkway could be a wonderful route. Parts of it are quite sweeping and majestic, but ruined by the bumps. I hope this is Step 1 towards turning it into the wonderful commuter route it could be.

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