A Regional District of Central Kootenay director is calling on the province to take more responsibility for rural transportation, claiming road maintenance in Shoreacres has degraded the community’s only active transportation network.
The concerns stem from a sealcoating project carried out on Shoreacres roads in 2024, which Area I director Andy Davidoff said has left rough and unstable surfaces that are difficult for walking, cycling and mobility devices.
“The Shoreacres community roads were chip seal coated instead of paved,” explained Davidoff. “And the community always assumed that their nice, smooth roads that are very suitable for active transportation would be resurfaced and be better than what it was before.
“And it was pretty good before except for some places that needed repair. Once the sealcoating happened, that was no longer the case. So the new service made once common activities difficult or impossible to do.”
Province urged to act
Davidoff sent a letter to Premier David Eby and several cabinet ministers earlier this week, highlighting how provincially maintained secondary roads in rural B.C. are not optional infrastructure but the only active transportation corridors available to residents.
“In rural British Columbia, provincially maintained secondary and tertiary highways are not discretionary infrastructure,” wrote Davidoff.
“They are the sole transportation corridors available to residents, serving as roadways, sidewalks, cycling routes, school travel routes, mobility-access corridors and emergency access simultaneously.”
Davidoff said the province has asserted that “typically active transportation corridors in B.C. are funded, owned and maintained by local governments.” However, he said this model is misaligned with rural conditions.
“While this governance framework may be functional in urban environments with municipal road networks, sidewalks, transit and parallel routes, it is fundamentally misaligned with rural conditions.”
In communities like Shoreacres, the active transportation corridor is the provincially owned and maintained highway, said Davidoff, adding that there are no alternate routes, parallel municipal streets or realistic opportunities for local governments to independently provide separate facilities.
“Framing active transportation as a local government responsibility in this context constitutes an off-loading of provincial responsibility for the safe and inclusive use of provincial infrastructure,” said Davidoff.
Community complaints
Davidoff said he has received many complaints from residents in recent months, including photos and impact statements documenting loose aggregate, dust and uneven surfaces.
“People walk on these roads, they walk with strollers, ride a bike, play hockey on them,” explained Davidoff.
“And now people have to leave the community to ride a bike on a smooth surface. That doesn’t seem right.”
Province defends approach
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit responded to Davidoff’s concerns in late 2025, with district manager Greg Kinnear defending the work as part of regular maintenance, calling sealcoating a “well-established and cost-effective method” used province-wide to extend the service life of roads and prevent severe degradation.
Kinnear noted the Shoreacres roads are not designated active transportation corridors and do not include bike lanes or multi-use paths.
“The Active Transportation Design Guide provides direction for the planning and design of infrastructure whose primary function is active transportation — such as walking, cycling and mobility aids,” explained Kinnear.
He added that if separation from traffic is a priority, the ministry would be open to allowing the development of a multi-use pathway, though it would be funded and owned by the RDCK.
That position is at the heart of Davidoff’s concern.
“They exactly stated that in one of the communications,” said Davidoff.
“So we’re supposed to put in sidewalks on shoulders that can’t accommodate sidewalks. We’re supposed to pay for a portion of the road to be paved so that you can walk on it. It’s not something we can afford to do.”
He argues that the province caused the problem through its maintenance decisions and is now offloading responsibility to local governments.
“They caused the problem. And now they want local government to fix it. That doesn’t seem fair.”
In a separate letter to Mike Farnworth, minister of transportation and transit, Davidoff said the province’s responses lacked timelines, accountability and meaningful engagement, and warned the approach could expose the ministry to liability.
“Residents face roads that are unsafe for walking, cycling, and use of wheelchairs or other mobility aids,” Davidoff wrote.
“Advising residents to report loose aggregate shifts responsibility onto the public while leaving the underlying hazard unaddressed.”
Farnworth responded by explaining that sealcoating was chosen to preserve roads before more severe deterioration occurred, noting repaving was not possible at the time.
“Sealcoating provides a protective layer that seals cracks and shields the existing pavement from the damaging effects of weather and traffic, extending the life of the road,” wrote Farnworth.
“The ministry has been sealcoating side roads and highways across our road network for many years, as it allows us to maintain as many kilometres of roads as possible each year.”
The ministry said sweeping was completed as recently as spring 2025, with additional monitoring planned for this year. But Davidoff said those measures don’t address the reality in rural communities like Shoreacres.
“They talked about snowplows smoothing it out over time,” he said. “But how many times were the roads plowed in Shoreacres this year? Maybe once. That approach might work somewhere else — it doesn’t work here.”
Call for rural equity
Davidoff is asking the province to commit to full pavement restoration, engage directly with residents, review its maintenance decision-making and recognize that rural residents rely on provincial roads in ways urban communities don’t.
“Rural residents are not seeking preferential treatment. We are seeking parity: maintenance standards that reflect actual use, and recognition that provincial ownership carries provincial responsibility.”
The open letter was sent to the premier this week. Davidoff said he has yet to hear back.
“We don’t want to be the poor country cousins who are just getting whatever is left over after all the urban needs are met. Our rural residents’ life, health and mobility are worth no less than that of an urban resident, and provincial transportation policy and practice should reflect that principle.”
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