Slow Street
Georgia Avenue was made a "Slow Street" in 2020. A Slow Street has minimal traffic volume and speed so that people can walk, wheel, and bike safely.
Why a Slow Street on Georgia Avenue?
The Georgia Greenway project is meant to implement directives from the 2013 Harewood Neighbourhood Plan, the Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan, and the Official Community Plan. Phase 1 of the Georgia Greenway (Harewood Centennial Park) was finished in 2019.
Phase 2 started earlier than planned in 2020 when the Covid 19 pandemic began, Nanaimo City Council voted to create a Slow Street on Georgia Avenue, to make it easier for people to stay active and choose walking, wheeling and cycling during those challenging time.
Complete Streets and Georgia Greenway
Complete Streets refers to transportation guidelines and design approaches that support safe and comfortable travel for users of all ages and abilities, regardless of their mode of transportation.
The Georgia Greenway supports Complete Streets guidelines. While Phase 1 was mostly an off street multi-use trailway, current and future phases will be on existing streets and take Complete Streets guidelines more strongly into account. Want to know more about Complete Streets and how the City of Nanaimo is working to develop our own Complete Streets Guidelines? Check out the project web page at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/CompleteStreets.
Original Vision
The proposed active transportation route was first identified in the 2013 Harewood Neighbourhood Plan. The Neighbourhood Plan includes an Urban Design Framework that is intended to provide overall direction and help guide future development within Harewood. The neighbourhood bikeway is one of the key strategies identified in the plan. The plan states that:
The Georgia Greenway is also supported by the Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan, the Harewood Centennial Park Master Plan, and the Official Community Plan.
Our goal is to create a comfortable experience for users of all ages, abilities, and confidence level by incorporating a variety of pedestrian and cycling facilities such as multi-use pathways, traffic calmed local streets, and improved road crossings. Doing so has the benefit assisting in lowering vehicle speeds in the area making the neighbourhood more welcoming and comfortable for all users.