What, Where, Why and How
What
Our goal is to make it safe to walk, bike or roll between the Sunshine Coast, BC communities of Langdale and Sechelt using a paved multi-use path parallel to yet separated from the busy Highway 101. Connect the Coast is a project to build all ages and abilities (AAA) active transportation infrastructure to connect Sunshine Coast communities along the Highway 101 corridor.
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Multi-use paths exist in communities throughout BC and are essential transportation and recreation resources for cyclists and pedestrians. Examples of AAA purpose-built trails connecting rural BC communities include:
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Markin – MacPhail Westside Legacy Trail (25 kms of paved pathway connecting Invermere and Fairmont Hot Springs)
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Whistler Valley Trail (a 50 km interconnected trail network connecting communities in the Whistler Valley)
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Tofino – Ucluelet (a 40 km multi-jurisdictional trio of trails)
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Cycle 16 (12 kms of paved pathway connecting Smithers and Telkwa – a work in progress)
For a discussion of the barriers to building multi-use paths in BC’s rural areas, see Exploring the Lack of Active Transportation Infrastructure in British Columbia, a 2025 report prepared for Connect the Coast by Drewyn Lau.
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Where
The long term goal of Connect the Coast is to build AAA active transportation infrastructure from Langdale to Lund. But, let’s face it, that’s 143 kms of infrastructure along a constrained right-of-way traversing some difficult terrain. It’s going to take a long time. So we developed some metrics to help us prioritize sections for development. These are:
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connect destinations
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build where demand is greatest
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use secondary roads where possible
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fix the places the community finds most dangerous
Using these metrics, our priorities are:
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Gibsons - Roberts Creek Connector: Pratt Road Lower/Highland Road;
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Roberts Creek - Ts’ukw’um: Roberts Creek Provincial Campground to Field Road
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Davis Bay – Sechelt Village Connector: Whitaker Road to Wharf Avenue
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Why
It’s good for business:
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more and lower-impact tourism
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increased revenue for local businesses
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less space needed for parking
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more options for employees to get to work
It’s good for families:
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reduced cost-of-living
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more independence for youth
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less chauffeuring for parents
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better access to recreation
It’s good for public budgets:
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a fraction of the cost of adding a general purpose highway lane
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cheaper to maintain than a highway lane
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more exercise and fewer collisions translate directly to lower health care costs
It’s good for the environment:
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less air, water and noise pollution
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reduced GhG emissions and impacts
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less need to build a new highway through forested areas
It’s good for the community:
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reduces pressure on the ferry and highway systems
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reduces unfairness by providing a safe transportation option for people who cannot or choose not to drive
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creates a space for building community
How
Because this is a public infrastructure project proposed to be built on public land, it cannot succeed without government involvement. But government won’t build something like this without a big push from the people. Our goal is to provide that push.
How?
We work to:
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raise awareness of the project and its benefits;
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educate ourselves and others about the regulatory and budgetary processes underlying successful infrastructure projects;
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participate in and try to influence these processes, and educate others on how they can do the same;
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raise money via grants and donations to fund planning and design work;
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work with contractors and stakeholders to develop credible and feasible plans with reliable cost estimates for construction and maintenance;
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work with local and provincial governments to find solutions to the barriers they face in building projects like this.
If you want more on the What, Where, Why and How, listen to these interviews with:
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