Alternative transportation network

The rapidly increasing cost of fuel is leaving commuters looking for alternatives.

Global demand for oil will likely continue to drive fuel costs even higher in the future. It is clear that our region needs more desirable, affordable, and environmentally-friendly forms of transportation. The timing for the development of these alternatives could not be better.

In February, the provincial government announced its $14-billion provincial transportation plan. Large amounts of provincial funding are on the table for alternative transportation models. We simply have to submit a plan.

Saanich is best positioned to develop a mobility strategy that will contribute to a regional plan. Ours is home to the greatest portion of commuter routes in the region. Almost every major vehicle corridor in the region travels through Saanich. A successful regional plan depends upon a well-developed strategy from Saanich.

Creating a mobility strategy for Saanich would be relatively easy, as we have already identified our major transportation routes.

Saanich’s draft official community plan (OCP) identifies five major centres, around which the district will concentrate residential density and commercial services. The designation of these major centres creates an ideal framework on which to construct a transportation network. We can design rapid transit, pedestrian, and cyclist corridors to connect the five centres and downtown.

The draft OCP also identifies neighbourhood centres, villages, and a rural village. The transportation network would connect these areas with dependable transit service and pedestrian and cycling corridors.

Enhancing our transportation system with rapid transit, dedicated transit corridors, frequent and dependable service, and connected pedestrian and cyclist corridors will provide commuters with the desirable transportation alternatives that are so desperately needed. It will also move us toward our greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 33 per cent by 2020 and ensure that we avoid the traffic congestion that plagues so many other urban centres.

Let’s seize the opportunity and design a transportation network that will serve Saanich and our region with quality public transportation alternatives for decades to come.