A series of near-term and long-term park-and-ride concepts on the Capital Region’s Westshore have been identified as part of a broader push to improve public transit infrastructure along the Old Island Highway corridor and following a 2018 announcement that the City of Colwood’s Ocean Boulevard facility would be closing.

 

One or more of seven near-term park-and-ride locations, spanning between 53 and 161 vehicle stalls in the municipalities of View Royal, Colwood and Langford, could appear in a neighbourhood near you as measures intended to bridge the need for immediate park-and-ride capacity and long-term, more comprehensive park-and-ride goals.

 

The locations of 12 Westshore park-and-ride options rated by preference.  Citified.ca/Google

 

The largest parking lot among them and the one garnering the highest rating in a report published by consultant SNC Lavalin has been eyed for Station Avenue between Peatt Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway in Langford. The proposed lot’s 161-stalls would be situated along the northern half of the roadway one block east of the Langford Transit Exchange that offers BC Transit connections to various Westshore communities, downtown Victoria and Sooke.

 

Rated as number two is a 157-stall parcel on Goldstream Avenue at Peatt Road in Langford’s downtown core. The park-and-ride is envisioned for a narrow strip of land between Peatt Road and Claud Road and a gravel lot accessible off Peat Road.

 

The third-highest rating is for a 152-stall lot at along the north side of the Old Island Highway at the Colwood Trans Canada Highway interchange. The lot would be sited on a treed parcel between the Trans Canada Highway and an automotive business just a stone’s throw from the Shell gas station to the southwest.

 

Number four would offer 97-stalls on Peatt Road (to the north of the E&N Railway tracks and Station Avenue) on the northwest corner of the Peatt Road and Station Avenue intersection.

 

Number five would straddle the Langford Transit Exchange along Station Avenue at Jacklin Road. The capacity would yield 56-stalls and offer the closest distance to the exchange.

 

The sixth and seventh rated near-term park-and-rides are eyed for Jacklin Road at Sooke Road (the southeast corner of the intersection) and the upcoming intersection of Langford Parkway at Leigh Road, respectively. The seventh spot would be situated north of the E&N Railway tracks.

 

Five facilities in the running for a longer-term outlook will offer a significantly larger capacity that could see as many as 1,458 vehicles accommodated. The smallest of the potential locations would yield 220-stalls.

 

The highest rated choice is on lands in the Luxton area of Langford along Sooke Road west of Happy Valley Road. The capacity would provide parking for 545 vehicles and be well suited for connectivity with the 61 and 65 BC Transit routes serving Sooke and downtown Victoria and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail's proximity would allow easy transit connections for bicycle commuters.

 

Number two would be located along Metchosin Road at Laren Road (east of Wishart Road) in Colwood, not too far from the municipality’s firehall. With a capacity for nearly 1,460 vehicles, this location would be the largest among all options explored. However, its location would require transit riders to walk a longer than ideal distance to Sooke Road prior to connecting with a rapid transit route like the 61 or 65 (under the current route structure).

 

The third-rated option would accommodate 829-stalls on Veterans Memorial Parkway at Sooke Road at the southeast corner of the intersection. Much like the Metchosin Road lot above, transit riders will find a limited number of transit routes under the current route structure.

 

And finally, options four and five on Latoria Road at Ryder Hesjedal Way in Colwood’s Royal Bay community and nearby at Latoria Road at Wishart Road, respectively, would yield 575-stalls at Royal Bay and 220 to the west.

 

The timelines for near-term and long-term park-and-ride measures as identified above range from approximately one to several years out and are a key component of regional plans for extending rapid transit services to the Westshore via the Old Island Highway and Sooke Road.

 

Transit improvement plans include dedicated transit lanes similar to those recently built on Douglas Street in Victoria and along the Trans Canada Highway east of Tillicum Road, improved shelters and new feeder routes. C

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