Rail lines back on the table at regional transit talks
By Roszan Holmen - Saanich News
September 23, 2008
Any talk about regional transit plans needs to include more details on incorporating light rail. That was the recent consensus of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission.
"The project will go off the rails if we don't include them from the start," said Saanich mayor Frank Leonard, one of seven politicians on the commission.
On Tuesday, B.C. Transit brought forward an outline of the working and advisory committees hired to guide the development of a new regional transit plan.
Thee members of the commission -- the mayors of Saanich, Sooke and Oak Bay -- objected. The list lacked any representatives for light or heavy rail, they said.
"The president of the company (B.C. Transit) didn't like the three of us suggesting this," Leonard said.
In May, B.C. Transit scrapped plans to build dedicated bus lanes down Douglas Street, arguing they weren't broad enough in scope. Instead, B.C. Transit said a full business case should be developed for a transit corridor from downtown Victoria to the West Shore before it will fund the $25 million project.
The move to include rail expertise is a good one, said Dean Murdock, co-chair of Sierra Club Victoria and Saanich council candidate.
"My concern with the current plan is it's a prescription for more buses," Murdock said. "We've seen that an increase in bus service alone will not drive up the current demand."
Having a solid business case for rail is key to getting funding for what would be an expensive project, said Murdock.
"We don't have a strategy to say ... this is the amount of money we think it will cost and this is the number of riders we think it will attract and these are the emmission we think it will save. This is the piece that is so crucial when the commission approves the work plan."
Leonard also expressed optimism about the possibility of getting the needed funding.
"The provincial government has asked us to (consider rail), which is a good sign, because we need the (government's) money to make it happen," he said. The committee meets again in October to review the updated list of people on the advisory and working committees.
rholmen@saanichnews.com
Mark your calendar
South Saanich MLA David Cubberley and Dean Murdock of Sierra Club Victoria are hosting a public forum on public transit tonight, Sept. 24. Everyone is welcome. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in Spectrum Community School, 957 W. Burnside Road. Call 250-952-4418 for information.
Did you know?
The Victoria Regional Transit Commission works with B.C. Transit to set fares, determine routes and service levels and makes budget recommendations. It comprises elected politicians, two of which are appointed as B.C. Transit directors.
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