About Us
The charter of the VWCA Transportation Committee is to:
- Be available to listen to community members’ concerns about transportation issues in the neighbourhood and convey those concerns to the city.
- Work with the community, city staff and officials towards appropriate solutions for neighbourhood transportation concerns.
- Work as the VWCA liaison with the City on transportation initiatives in the neighbourhood.
- Make recommendations to the Board on any actions to be taken in regard to transportation issues.
- Liaise with the Land Use committee regarding issues associated with development proposals.
We believe that Victoria West should provide safe and active streets for all, especially children, people with disabilities, and the elderly, so we can safely walk, bike, roll, and drive to important destinations and amenities, including schools, daycares, workplaces, village centres, parks and recreational facilities.
Contact Us
You can contact the VWCA Transportation Committee at:
We look forward to hearing from you!
Projects Affecting Vic West
We try to keep on top of signficiant road, trail, hydro, construction, and other projects that affect Vic West residents. Our volunteers strive to keep this list up to date, but please remember that it is unofficial and almost certainly incomplete. Whenever possible we will provide links to authoritative sources.
Regional Trestles Renewal, Trails Widening and Lighting Project
The Capital Regional District (CRD) is upgrading key sections of the Galloping Goose and Lochside Regional Trails to support growing demand. These popular multi-use trails now welcome over 3.8 million visits each year, with usage expected to increase by 2.5% annually. Approximately 80% of trail users are cyclists and 20% are pedestrians.
The following was taken from the project page on 2026-09-12:
Temporary Closures
Trail closures and detour routes will change as construction progresses. The south closure between Viaduct Park and Dupplin Road will begin September 23, 2026. The closure is expected to remain in place until spring 2027. Signed detours are provided for people walking, wheeling and cycling. Plan an alternate route and follow posted signs.
- View Current Closure and Detour Alerts
- View the south closure and detour map, effective September 23, 2026 [PDF/1.5MB]
- View the subsequent closure and detour map, effective date to be confirmed [PDF/1.5MB]
The next phase of CRD work between Cecelia Road and Culduthel Road is currently targeted to begin in late October 2026.
Note that the trail will also be closed on occasion because of the BC Hydro cable replacement project.
Victoria to Esquimalt Cable Replacement Project
In August 2023, a circuit failed in Arbutus Park near the shoreline of the Gorge Waterway and Cecelia Creek, and during its repair BC Hydro found widespread corrosion on the outer sheath of the cables. They started construction in early 2025 and plan to have the new cable in-service in fall 2026.
The following was taken from the BC Hydro project page on 2026-09-12:
August 2026
We’ve posted our latest community construction report for the Victoria to Esquimalt Cable Replacement Project. The August 2026 report [PDF, 15.8 MB] covers the project’s status and activities, the successful placement of the conduits under the Gorge Waterway, construction schedule for the Gorge Waterway, Viaduct Park, Banfield Park, and Esquimalt Substation. The community construction reports are issued every month.
Ongoing trail detours
Refer to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail detour notice [PDF, 123 KB], and northbound detour map [PDF, 13.4 MB] and southbound detour map [PDF, 13.4 MB].
Refer to the Banfield Park Trail detour map [PDF, 13.4 MB].
Significantly for Vic West residents, the project affects Banfield Park, water navigation in the Gorge, and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail on the east side of the gorge.
Banfield Park Trail users should be aware that the detour route has substantially steeper slopes than the trail.
Bike Share in Vic West
As you have likely noticed, a bike share system has launched in the City of Victoria, and a map of bike share parking spaces is available. For the most up to date information the place to look is the Lime app.
The system is launching in phases. The first, which happened in August 2026, saw 400 bikes rolled out over about 100 stations in the western part of the city. This included the neighbourhoods of Downtown, Victoria West, James Bay, North Park, Burnside and Hillside Quadra. Expansion to the remainder of the city is happening now and should complete by the end of the year, at which point there will be many more e-bikes and about 200 parking zones.
Parking zones are located along AAA cycling routes, near key destinations or in proximity to major transit routes. Parking zones are designed to be a maximum of 400m distance, decreasing to 100-200m spacing in denser neighbourhoods (such as James Bay).
Safety and Equipment
All of the e-bikes are set to a maximum motor-assisted speed of 25 km/h. Designated slow-go zones will be further restricted to 15 km/h. A limited number of other areas will be designated as no-go zones.
Adjustable helmets are available on all bikes, locked in the front baskets and will be sanitized regularly. The bikes are pedal-assist (as opposed to throttle-assist), have front baskets, kickstands, step-through frames, automatic front and back lights and adjustable seats.
The bikes are built with proprietary parts, including anti-tamper security screws, reducing theft due to the lack of compatibility of components with other e-bikes. The rear bike wheel is mechanically locked when not in use and future docking stations will lock e-bikes in place when parked. Each bike has a GPS signal, visible, unique identifiable numbers and is registered with Project 529. In the event of bike theft or damage, a retrieval and replacement plan will be in place