For those who frequent downtown Victoria, the past few months have come with a new soundtrack.
Honking and occasional shouting have become part of the routine on Blanshard Street, where recent upgrades are leaving some residents frustrated and others waiting to see if time smooths things out.
In June, the City of Victoria completed work along Blanshard from Caledonia Avenue to Fort Street.
The project, which began in July 2024, included road repaving, traffic signal upgrades, new dedicated left-turn lanes, protected bike lanes on each side of the street, upgraded crosswalks, accessible parking, lighting improvements and landscaping.
The corridor was identified in the city’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan as a priority for expanding the all ages and abilities cycling network.
The goal, city staff say, was to modernize a busy stretch of roadway and improve access for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and those with mobility challenges.
While the street has a refreshed look, much of the public attention has landed on one particular feature between Broughton and View streets: alternating parking.
On that stretch, the right-hand lane doubles as a parking lane outside of peak hours.
From 4 to 6 p.m. vehicles are not permitted to park, but outside of those times, the lane is open to drivers looking for a spot.
The arrangement, while not unique to Victoria, has prompted confusion as some motorists attempt last-second lane changes when encountering parked cars.
“I walk almost everywhere, so when I saw that the street upgrades were coming, it wasn’t something that really jumped out to me,” said Carol Smart, who has lived in the downtown area for more than seven years. “But since they have completed the upgrades, it sounds like a constant noise-war. I have never heard so many honks, inconsiderate gestures, or yelling in my life. People just aren’t getting it.”
Smart said the alternating parking is at the centre of the problem.
“I get it, they’re trying something innovative. Downtown is busy, and we have so many people who use this area, but it seems to me as if they missed the mark,” she said. “With so many tourists using our streets, it would be hard to adjust, and even for those who live here, it doesn’t really make sense.”
Others who rely on Blanshard for work-related driving have described the changes as hectic.
“I deliver food in the evening, and frequently come up Blanshard for stops at restaurants,” said Navar Singh. “My stops are brief as I’m just running in to grab the food and leave, but people just don’t seem to have patience. At first I thought this would make it easier, but people have honked non-stop, not understanding that it is a parking spot, and even flipped me off more times than I can count.”
Singh said the new traffic pattern creates more confusion than convenience.
“Every time I drive up Blanshard, I feel stressed,” Singh said. “It seems like an accident waiting to happen.”
The conversation has spread online as well.
A Reddit thread dedicated to the changes has drawn hundreds of comments, with one user writing that they now drive the section “just for entertainment purposes” because of the frequent confusion. Another questioned why parking was retained at all in the middle of a heavily used corridor, describing the temporary plastic signs as “haphazard.”
City staff say the arrangement was part of the plan from the beginning.
Colleen Mycroft, a City of Victoria spokesperson, said peak-hour parking was identified early in the design process to strike a balance.
"Traffic modelling and data analysis, along with engineering best practices and prior experience on similar streets all played a role in the decision-making process.” Mycroft said. She added that Quadra Street has operated under similar conditions for several years, and that other municipalities also use this approach.
Additional parking spaces on nearby streets, including Broughton, View and Courtney, have been identified to help offset the restrictions, though some have yet to be installed.
Asked about the public feedback, Mycroft said concerns are taken seriously.
"When we receive public comments regarding this section of Blanshard Street, staff review, respond to and address the concerns raised," she said. 'We review these concerns for impacts to public safety as a priority."
As for whether the rotating parking ultimately helps or hinders traffic flow, Mycroft said the city is still collecting data.
"Typically, this parking configuration can benefit both local business and peak hour traffic volumes," Mycroft said. "In this case, the city has undertaken parking utilization and traffic studies since the changes to the street to analyze impacts to road users."
Mycroft added that the city is currently in the midst of collecting data, which would be the driving factor in the case that improvements would be needed.
"We are currently in this data collection phase, and it will be several weeks before it is fully collected and analyzed," she said. "Data collection post-construction is standard practice and allows the city to adjust and make improvements as needed."
