A multi-use path for the Sunshine Coast
What is Connect the Coast?
Connect the Coast is a project to advocate and plan for the creation of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to connect Sunshine Coast communities along the Highway 101 corridor. This all ages and abilities (AAA) infrastructure will benefit the community in numerous ways. This project was initiated by TraC, and it’s now led by the Sunshine Coast-based Connect the Coast Society, a Canadian registered charity.
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Multi-use paths exist in communities throughout BC and are essential transportation and recreation resources for cyclists and pedestrians.​
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Multi-use path in Tofino
Participants in the 2023 Slow Food Cycle in Gibsons
​Why do we need a multi-use path?​
A multi-use path will provide many benefits to residents, visitors and local businesses:
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Increased tourism and local business revenue
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Reduced use of, and reliance on, private motor vehicles
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Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle kilometres travelled
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Safe transportation alternatives for those who cannot or choose not to drive
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Greater equity of access to the transportation network
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Enhanced population health
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Increased employment and recreational opportunities ​
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​​​What is TraC doing to develop a multi-use path?
In 2022, TraC paid for a professional to dive into what’s involved in creating a multi-use path along the Highway 101 corridor from Langdale to West Sechelt. Here’s a link to the preliminary design report. The report separates the full length of the path into 25 segments, and it presents recommendations for prioritization of the various segments based on positive impact, cost, and other factors. This study was funded by a generous TraC member.
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A second phase of the study, funded by a grant to Sunshine Coast Tourism, made similar recommendations for the highway from West Sechelt to Lund. Here’s a link to the preliminary design report for this section.
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The Connect the Coast Society board is working with local government (the Town of Gibsons, the District of Sechelt, and the Sunshine Coast Regional District), and has engaged with the Squamish and shíshálh nations, and with the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Transit to further this initiative.
Progress to date
As of February 2025, progress is being made toward the completion of the Conceptual Design for the first priority segment, a 2.5-kilometre stretch from Pratt Road in Gibsons to Lower Road in Roberts Creek.
First priority segment of the multi-use path: Pratt Road to Lower Road
The diagram below shows the main steps for planning, designing, and building the multi-use path. The green bars indicate the progress for each step.
The Connect the Coast Society received funding for planning work on this segment from the federal government, Sunshine Coast Regional District, Town of Gibsons, BC Cycling Coalition, and private donors. Connect the Coast has engaged a project engineer and, on February 6, 2025, held its second stakeholder engagement session with stakeholders whose participation is essential to project success. Meetings with these stakeholders will continue throughout the design process.
Connect the Coast board member Alun Woolliams presenting to the Sunshine Coast Regional District
Connect the Coast is now seeking funding to initiate planning work on the second priority segment. This second segment is 3 km long and goes from the Roberts Creek Provincial Park Campground to Field Road in ts’ukw’um (Wilson Creek).
Second priority segment of the multi-use path: Roberts Creek Campground to Field Road
Completion of the first and second priority segments will permit off-highway travel all the way from Gibsons to ts’ukw’um (Wilson Creek). The locations of the two priority segments are shown in the following map.
The locations of the first and second priority segments for the multi-use path
Community support
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“We believe that this initiative, in addition to attracting a greater number of tourists to the Sunshine Coast and beyond, will help accelerate the shift to a lower impact, more sustainable form of tourism, as well as provide foundational support for the emergence of existing and emerging green tourism businesses on the Sunshine Coast.”
Annie Wise / Executive Director / Sunshine Coast Tourism
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“The Connect the Coast Society's goal of building a MUP from Langdale to Sechelt and, eventually, from Sechelt to Lund, will benefit Sunshine Coast residents and visitors alike. In particular, residents who do not or cannot drive, our elders and our youth will benefit from the addition of a safe and cost-effective active transportation option to our limited transportation network, which is currently designed for and dominated by motorized vehicles.”
Catherine Leach / Executive Director / Sunshine Coast Community Services
“The Connect the Coast project provides an opportunity to begin transforming how people get around on the Sunshine Coast. This infrastructure would provide safe, alternative transportation choices that people on the Sunshine Coast don’t currently enjoy.”
Anna Lattanzi / Working Group Member / Sunshine Coast Climate Action Network
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“Connect the Coast aims to connect the diverse communities within the Sunshine Coast by establishing vital cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. This All Ages and Abilities (AAA) initiative is being spearheaded by Transportation Choices Sunshine Coast (TraC), and holds remarkable potential to bring notable benefits that will enhance the health and well-being of our coastal region's residents and visitors.”
Dr Moliehi Khaketla / Medical Health Officer / Vancouver Coastal Health
Multi-use path in Halifax
Connect the Coast Society board members
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As mentioned earlier, the Connect the Coast project was initiated by TraC, and it’s now led by the Sunshine Coast-based Connect the Coast Society, a Canadian registered charity. Here's background info about the volunteer board members of the Connect the Coast Society.
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Tannis Braithwaite, Treasurer – Tannis is a lawyer and long-time cycling advocate. With others she successfully advocated for cycling infrastructure in Vancouver, leading to the network of cycle paths that now traverse the downtown core and beyond. Through her advocacy work, Tannis has built considerable expertise in the policies and regulations associated with our roads, highways and active transportation infrastructure.
Stephen Forgacs, Secretary – Stephen is a corporate communications specialist with experience in journalism, investor and public relations and fundraising communications. Prior to moving to Roberts Creek in 2016, he led the marketing and communications efforts for the successful $200-million fundraising campaign to support the construction of a new BC Children’s Hospital. Stephen also chairs the Transportation Choices Sunshine Coast (TraC) board.
Scott Nelson, President – Scott is a tech entrepreneur and long-time cycling advocate who, with Tannis, advocated for cycling infrastructure in Vancouver. In the early 1990s Scott founded Communicopia, one of Canada’s first web development companies. Scott has served on the board of the Vancouver Community Network and the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation. Scott lives in Sechelt.
Sandra Philips, Director – Sandra is an entrepreneur and international expert on shared mobility. She was appointed CEO of car-sharing co-op Modo in October 2024. She is the chair and founder of movmi, an agency focused on shared mobility, from micro mobility to carsharing to Mobility-as-a-Service. movmi’s clients range from public agencies (Translink, City of Vancouver, State of Luxembourg) to Fortune 500 companies (BMW, Honda), to new mobility startups. She is a winner of TED Next Visionary and BC Business Change Maker awards and a Clean 50 honoree. She lives in Sechelt.
Alun Woolliams, Vice-president – Alun is a software developer and past-chair of TraC. A long-time Sunshine Coast resident, Alun has played a key role in advancing TraC’s vision in which Sunshine Coast residents enjoy a safe and efficient network of sustainable and active transportation options. Alun has deep relationships in our community and is highly regarded by Gibsons, Sechelt and Sunshine Coast Regional District staff and elected officials for his calm and reasoned approach to advocacy. He lives in Roberts Creek.
For information or to make a donation, please email connect.the.coast.society@gmail.com.