Vancouver Island man has unique reason to oppose Highway 19A name change
Published 6:30 am Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Gerry Swan loves to drive his two classic cars up and down Highway 19A in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area, so he has a special reason for not supporting a name change for the roadway, even if it would only be within Parksville city limits.
Parksville council is considering name changes for Highway 19A and Alberni Highway (within city limits) to Ocean Boulevard and Mountainview Boulevard.
The city’s engineering department’s proposal will come to council in late June or July.
A few years ago, while driving up to Campbell River for a car swap meet, inspiration struck Swan.
“We were heading up the highway one morning and looking to my right was the most incredible view of the ocean and to the left was the mountains,” he said. “Straight in front was a fabulous winding highway called 19A.”
When he got home, he printed off a few hundred decals reading ‘Historic Island Route 19A’ and gave them out.
Swan also put some permanent decals on the doors of his 1931 Ford hot rod and 1980 Corvette “just because I can,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s just a funky thing that, you know, at 86 years old, you gotta do something crazy,” he said. “No matter where you go, you get thumbs up.”
The decals are an homage to Route 66 in the U.S. which stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica. Swan used to visit Palm Springs quite often and would cross Route 66 in his travels.
“We’ve got a much better location up here,” Swan added. “A better highway, more fun, more views, better weather and better people. So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
Swan built the 1931 Ford hot rod from scratch, with all the parts being from 1950 or earlier, except for the steering wheel. He plans to sell it soon to a buyer on the mainland.
He belongs to both the Ocean Idlers Car Club and the Seaside Cruizers Car Club, both of which raise thousands for charity every year.
RELATED: Highway name changes proposal finds ‘limited support’ in Parksville survey