Birch Street Neighbourhood Bikeway: FAQs

In an attempt to encourage more cyclists on Birch Street, the City dropped the speed limit from the default 50km/hr to 30km/hr.  This should make Birch Street more safe and comfortable for cyclists of all ages and all abilities.  The City will install traffic calming measures in 2024 to further encourage drivers to slow down.

By default, a school zone with a 30km/hr tab is only in effect from 8am to 5pm school days.  Similarly, a playground zone with a 30km/hr tab is only in effect from dawn to dusk, every day.  The City converted overlapping school and playground zones into 30km/hr zones all day, every day.  The City removed the 30km/hr tab and installed a regulatory 30km/hr sign near the school or playground zone sign.  This applies to the playground zones on Merecroft Road, Pinecrest Road, and around Centennial Park.  This also applies to the school zone at Pinecrest Elementary School.

Most traffic calming measures have little to no impact on parking. Some parking may be lost on top of a speed hump or near an intersection with a traffic circle. There will be no wholesale loss of parking because bike lanes are not being installed.

The City is currently updating its Master Transportation Plan, which will address traffic speeds on local streets.  There will likely be increased policy direction and procedures for lowering speed limits on neighbourhoods streets.  At this point, the City will wait until the MTP update is complete, then will work on implementing its recommendations.

This project was approved by Council in 2022, as part of the 2023 budget. Further upgrades to Campbell River's transportation network will be discussed as part of the Master Transportation Plan process.