MacDonald Island Park, parking study

A parking study for MacDonald Island Park is being considered by the local council in order to develop a traffic strategy. Since MacDonald Island Park is the focus of expansion efforts a parking study is needed to ensure that there is adequate parking for residents and visitors both. According to Councillor Tyran Ault “We’ve seen time and time again the need for additional parking on MacDonald Island. When we were starting the construction for the softball diamonds at MacDonald Island Park, people were coming up and saying, ‘Hey, great job for adding more parking.’ We actually had to back up and say, ‘No, we’re adding more stuff to the island.’” The council member went on to say “The options are unlimited. Traffic at the island is a continuing issue and I think it’s only going to get worse as we build and expand out.”

Some of the MacDonald Island Park options that are being considered as part of the parking study include improvements to existing transit services and the possibility of parkades. The proposal that was put forward will be voted on at the next council meeting. With the official opening of the new Shell Place on MacDonald Island Park the capacity for 15,000 seats means that additional parking will be needed. Right now the park only has space for 1,300 parking spots, far less than what will be needed when Shell Place begins operations. The parking study will address this shortage and take steps to ensure that there is sufficient parking on MacDonald Island for everyone who wants to visit.