Goal 10
Efficient Services
Indicator #22—Per capita length of roads
What does this indicator tell us?
This indicator tells us the length of road required to
service a community. This is directly influenced by
where development is allowed and what form it takes.
This provides an indication of how efficiently land is
being used.
Why is this indicator important?
The RGS encourages the RDN and member
municipalities to create compact communities where
residents are within close proximity to employment,
schools and services required on a daily basis. More
roads mean cities and communities are more spread
out, requiring a greater reliance on cars and longer
commuting times. More people per metre of roads
indicate that communities are becoming more
compact and existing infrastructure is being used more
efficiently.
Target: Decrease the per capita length of roads
What is included in this indicator?
The indicator measures the metres of roads that
provide access to residences or businesses, as a
percentage of the regional population.
Where are we right now?
In 2015, the region has a total of 1,846,901 m of roads,
which represents 12.7 m of roads per capita. The
majority of these roads are within the electoral areas
(27 m of road per capita). This is followed by the
District of Lantzville with 16 m of road per capita, the
Town of Qualicum Beach with 12.3 m of road per
capita, the City of Parksville with 8.6 m of road per
capita and the City of Nanaimo with 6.8 m of road per
capita.
Where do we want to go?
The RGS encourages higher density forms of
development within the Growth Containment
Boundary to reduce the length of roads per person.
Regional District of Nanaimo
Monitoring the Regional Growth Strategy
Goal 10
Efficient Services
Target: Decrease the per capita length of roads
12.7 m of roads per capita or
1,846,901 m of road within the
Regional District of Nanaimo
(2015)
Per capita length of roads, 2015*
City of Nanaimo
568,221 m of road
6.8m of road per capita
Nanaimo
City of Parksville
102,927 m of road
Parksville
8.6m of road per capita
Town of Qualicum Beach
Qualicum Beach
106,685 m of road
12.3 m of road per capita
Lantzville
District of Lantzville
57,581 m of road
Electoral Areas
16 m of road per capita
RDN Electoral Areas
1,011,486 m of road
0
5
10
15
Metres of Road per capita
27 m of road per capita
*First Nations Reserves are not included in the total
20
25
30