District of Saanich Response Supplement: Transportation Governance Engagement

Introduction

This Response Supplement is being provided to the Capital Regional District (CRD) to provide additional explanatory context on the District of Saanich's responses to the CRD Transportation Governance Engagement (TGE) Workbook and how to interpret the responses in relationship to Saanich’s OCP, sustainability, and climate goals.

The District of Saanich is in full support of this initiative and strongly believes progressing regional transportation governance has the potential to rapidly accelerate sustainable mobility and safety goals. We are currently updating our Active Transportation Plan as well as our OCP and we are in the final phases of developing our Road Safety Action Plan. The opportunities for advancement of sustainable transportation in the region are currently impacted by the existing transportation governance structure. While the current governance structure has served the region well over time and progress is being made at the local level in many municipalities in the region, as the region matures there are gaps in the current structures ability to bring about meaningful regional changes towards sustainable transportation solutions. Looking ahead thoughtful, and consultative discussion is needed with all parties as the region considers a shift in transportation governance. Of particular importance in those consultative discussions is the need to further unpack a few key topic areas that will inform the creation of a new regional transportation authority. Those are:

• Developing an incremental approach to governance changes
• Identifying possible funding models for a new regional transportation authority
• Defining the new governance structure and governance representation for local elected officials
• Defining the scope of a new regional transportation authority including consideration of land use decisions, transit governance, transportation policy and regional transportation assets.

Given the importance and scale regional transportation governance changes would have at both the local and regional level, additional comments and suggestions are provided to the CRD for consideration and to engage with other regional partners in this important discussion. The following pages include specific responses by workbook question.

Responses by workbook question

1. Considering Trade-offs

A. Funding:

Local funding will continue to have the most significant impact on improving safety and serving the mobility needs of Saanich residents. Yet, the aim of a new regional transportation authority should be to secure a new funding stream dedicated to priority regional transportation projects. Integrated local projects with current funding and regional projects with additional funding sources will contribute to creating a seamless, sustainable mobility network that maximizes the ability of residents across the CRD not to make their trips by vehicle.

B. Connectivity:

Given the size of Saanich and that almost 60% of residents' daily trips begin and end within the municipality (as per the 2017 CRD Origin Destination Household Travel Survey), intra-municipal connectivity is the priority. Making 15-minute complete communities and further integrating land use and transportation supported by an improved active transportation network are key strategies in Saanich's OCP update. As such, the percentage of daily trips remaining within Saanich boundaries will increase. However, Saanich's OCP also focuses on creating vibrant centres and villages that transit corridors will support. Accelerating progress on reliable and frequent transit and a major active transportation corridor network within Saanich and between municipalities will be critical to managing vehicle congestion by providing an efficient and convenient alternative to a car for longer-distance trips.

C. Transit:

While it will be essential to continue increasing the transit resources to support local routes in Saanich, especially for households who do not own a car, many driving trips within Saanich can be by walking, biking, and rolling. Active travel in the future will improve local mobility as the municipality further develops its’ all ages and abilities active transportation network. Improving the frequency and reliability of regional transit will have a more significant mobility impact related to longer trips by Saanich residents as it will encourage more people to shift from cars to public transit. This mode shift is particularly relevant to Saanich as greatly improved regional transit will decrease the number of vehicles driving through the District to the rest of the CRD core (Victoria and Oak Bay). Investments in regionally significant transit corridors will have an even greater mobility impact as municipalities concentrate development along regional transit spines and create transit-oriented communities.

D. Active Transportation:

Further investments in active transportation will continue to be a priority to support the local needs of residents. While progress has been made on the Active Transportation Plan, completing gaps in the walking and cycling network, all while improving safety and accessibility, remains a local mobility priority. Regional trails comprise the spine of Saanich’s local active transportation network. Investment in widening and lighting regional routes will also be an essential infrastructure need in the immediate future. Augmenting CRD’s role beyond the 2016 Regional Trails Management Plan and implementing the recently approved Regional Trails Widening and Lighting Project could be an early deliverable for enhanced regional governance. Consideration of completing a holistic network update to the regional trails plan as part of stepping into the Level 1: New CRD Services transportation governance approach could be an early win for residents across the CRD.

E. Traffic flow and congestion:

While investments in the Regional Multi-Modal Network (RMN) should be the priority, the scope of corridor improvements should consider all modes of transportation. The goal should be to move more people on the RMN, not more cars, while improving the reliability of goods movement. As such, concepts for enhancing the RMN should consider transit priority and improved spaces for people walking and cycling. Beyond managing congestion, the net streetscape improvements on the RMN should encourage more people to choose sustainable modes. Enhanced regional funding to support RMN improvements should also consider opportunities for municipalities to cost-share in protecting their neighbourhoods from short-cutting traffic.

F. Transportation Planning:

Upon completing an update to the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that reflects Saanich’s and other municipalities' latest sustainable mobility, climate plans and OCP updates, the RTP could inform future municipal transportation plans. An update to the RTP should be a mobility plan centered on prioritizing and promoting sustainable mobility options, integrated with accountability on land use outcomes that develop complete, walkable neighbourhoods and transit-oriented communities.

G. Behaviour Change:

From an economy of scale and efficiency perspective, the most significant impact in improving safety, promoting active travel, and encouraging transit mobility would be for a regional entity to lead travel behaviour change. While municipalities such as Saanich should continue to share in the responsibility of travel behaviour change, leadership from a regional agency would avoid duplication of effort across different levels of government and ensure a consistent unified approach in raising awareness and promoting sustainable mode choices.

H. New Mobility Services:

The need and benefits of new and emerging mobility services such as bike sharing, car sharing, and ride-hailing are often not constrained by municipal boundaries. As such, the greatest public good in creating policies and regulations for new mobility options is at the regional level. The Provincial e-scooter pilot is a current example where it would have been more efficient for a regional entity to work directly with the Province rather than multiple municipalities. Even so, regional leadership on new mobility should consider the regional differences between urban and rural areas. For example, Saanich and other urban core municipalities should continue to have the ability to adapt and manage parking and curbside regulations, guided by a regional policy that establishes consistent expectations.

I. Grants:

The region should be the primary convener of pursuing priority projects on the RMN yet should enable multiple municipalities to collaborate on sustainable mobility initiatives. An example of inter-municipal collaboration for a sub-region in Metro Vancouver is the North Shore Connects partnership and their launch of an e-bike share system.

2. Understanding Expectations

A. There should be a balance of regional projects and local mobility needs. Achieving a representative proportion of priorities will be essential and best accomplished by having a diversity of local elected officials be a part of the decision-making of a new regional governance structure.

B. Simply making trade-offs between current planned local projects and future regional projects, with or without a new governance structure, will not improve mobility in the CRD. The roadmap to the greatest impact on regional mobility will be through creating a new regional governance structure that can raise further funding to deliver a prioritized list of regionally significant projects. Saanich and other municipalities must continue funding their local multimodal projects and integrate them with the RMN. In other words, rather than dividing the pie of funding differently between local and regional needs, a larger pie of funding is necessary to transform even more local and regional corridors with sustainable mobility choices more desirable than driving a car. Concerning land use and its integration with regional funding expectations, a higher share of the new funding for regionally significant projects should be directed to the municipalities most compliant with the CRD's regional growth strategy.

C. Local governments should be accountable for considering how their municipal mobility policy and resource decisions will align with regional objectives. Determining an appropriate method of accountability will be an essential part of the future engagement of local decision-makers in creating a new regional governance structure. Consistently following through on transit-supportive development and walkable communities is fundamental to creating a sustainable and more livable region. Built on the trust and goodwill of local governments contributing to the shared vision of the CRD, there can be an expected level of responsibility to consider regional impacts as municipalities make their respective land use and service level decisions.

D. The District of Saanich agrees that many transportation services are more efficient to deliver at a regional level and will accelerate local and regional progress in the necessary mode shift from cars to sustainable modes of transportation. Three examples of services best delivered at the regional level with updated regional transportation governance are:

1. Transit: providing accessible and comfortable transit on a frequent transit network, including regional consistency in applying supportive transit priority measures to improve reliability and performance; integrating transit facilities into local Transit-Oriented Communities and building Mobility Hubs at major transit stations;
2. Active Transportation (AT) Corridors: developing a regional Major AT Corridors Network by integrating the regional trails with major local bike routes designed for people of all ages and abilities;
3. Regional planning, policy, and program development: providing leadership on advancing a Vision Zero action plan and Safe Systems approach to road safety; convening and leading mobility initiatives such as TDM, bikesharing, carsharing, ridesharing, micromobility, and goods movement, including urban freight.

3. Identifying Opportunities - Concerns

• Saanich agrees that each of the expressed statements can be a potential concern regarding the level of service and provision of mobility expected by its residents and business community. Local decision-makers are responsible to their constituents. As such, it will be important to have local government representation on the board of any new regional governance structure. It will also provide clarity and transparency on where the municipality will maintain its current local control mandate compared to new responsibilities assigned to a regional entity.

4. Identifying Opportunities - Benefits

• Saanich agrees that each expressed statement (connectivity, prioritization, etc.) can materialize into a mobility benefit to its residents and business community. Given the importance of achieving the desired benefits through a new regional governance structure, further collaboration and engagement on each topic between the District of Saanich, the CRD, BC Transit, VRTC, MoTI, and other regional stakeholders will be critical in further exploration of transportation governance.
• One benefit readily achievable through transportation governance is having a unified voice on regional transportation priorities. Communicating a clear implementation roadmap that delivers sustainable mobility results, including reducing GHG emissions and supporting housing and affordability goals, will make it more compelling for senior government to provide enhanced capital funding. Current regional projects that would benefit from additional senior government funding through a unified CRD voice are the implementation of RapidBus lines and electrification of BC Transit's fleet.

5. Identifying Opportunities - Priorities

• Work and personal business trips are the largest trip purpose overall and represent 50% of all trips during the weekday peak period, as per the 2017 CRD Origin Destination Household Travel Survey. As such, the District of Saanich would rank connecting employment centers as primary and improving access to other essential amenities as the second highest ranking concerning building out the RMN.
• Improving the walk, bike, roll, and transit connectivity between neighbouring municipalities would be the next highest priority for improving the RMN. Connecting to BC Ferries and Victoria International Airport with frequent rapid transit is essential. Yet, it ranks lower in this priority ranking, considering that building out the RMN includes consideration of all modes, not just transit.

6. Identifying Opportunities - Funding

• Establishing the right mix of funding investment between the different modes of transportation will be a vital function of a new regional governance structure. However, it is unreasonable to expect any regional entity to balance its funding levels for each mode nor ignore future growth needs at the expense of maintaining a state of good repair (SOGR) of current assets. Instead, the desired target for future investment levels is to support moving people most efficiently in sustainable modes with corresponding road space allocation to encourage sustainable mode choices and achieve the preferred mode shift away from cars as the region continues to grow.
• As previously noted, making investment trade-offs between existing funding sources, with or without a new regional governance structure, will not improve mobility fast enough to achieve the CRD’s sustainable mobility target. The roadmap to fund all modes of transportation in the CRD, while supporting future growth and maintaining a SOGR, is to create a new regional governance structure that can raise additional funding to deliver on all three regional investment priorities. Rather than dividing the pie of existing funding differently, a larger pie of funding is necessary to accelerate making sustainable mobility more desirable than driving a car.

7. Additional Comments and Suggestions

• The District of Saanich appreciates the opportunity to provide additional context on how it is viewing the potential benefits of regional transportation governance in the CRD region, some considerations in raising the necessary support for moving forward, and refinements to the likely phased incremental approach towards regional transportation governance.

Transit and Land Use

A new regional governance structure can achieve significant opportunities in delivering regional mobility benefits that further integrate land use with sustainable transportation. Per the 2021 RTP Report Card, “Taking Transit to the Next Level” is critical to ensure the region achieves the desired mode shift away from cars. Delivering frequent, convenient and reliable transit is the most effective way to attract new riders, especially choice riders who have access to a car yet still choose public transit.

While focused on transportation outcomes, a new regional governance entity should provide the appropriate tools to monitor, incentivize and potentially enforce land use decisions consistent with the RGS. In particular, land uses that support walkable, complete communities, allowing people to walk, bike, and roll for most of their daily trips, should be encouraged to minimize residents’ need to drive a car. Land uses that are part of transit-oriented communities will further enhance the investments in frequent and reliable transit and should be incentivized to achieve co-benefits, including accelerating the reduction of GHG emissions and the provision of more affordable housing.

Vision Zero and Urban Freight

Additional regional leadership opportunities include developing a regional road safety action plan consistent with the Vision Zero goal and Safe Systems approach. Infrastructure improvements arising from the regional safety action plan could be harmonized in their design through consistent application of the BC AT Design Guide across the CRD. Travel behaviour change and educational plans can be created through a new regional entity and then amplified through all the municipalities with one consistent promotion and safety awareness message.

Even with continued modest growth in the CRD, more people in the region yield more goods movement trips. A new governance structure could explore more collaboration on regional goods movement planning and champion creating pathways to lower emission last-mile delivery and urban freight solutions.

Incremental Phased Levels and Stage Gate Approach

Concerning the current potential phased incremental implementation of a new or updated regional governance structure, consolidating all CRD transportation functions is good governance and is permitted based on current legislation. Level 1: New CRD services, as described in the May 17, 2023 report to the Transportation Committee, would be valued by the region’s residents, regardless of any consensus on advancing new regional transportation governance concepts. As such, bringing the RMN planning with regional trail functions within the CRD can move forward immediately without needing further engagement or consensus on transportation governance concepts for Level 2: Expand CRD Authority, or Level 3: New Transportation Authority.

While the region works towards consensus on a Level 2 governance concept, it should create measures of effectiveness to inform the value of further downstream regional transportation governance, including the potential of a new transportation authority, described as the Level 3 concept.

Success on smaller-scale regional initiatives as part of Level 2 will create momentum toward achieving greater sustainable mobility outcomes only possible in Level 3 with supportive legislation changes. Before advancing to the final Level 3 concept of creating a new transportation authority, there should be a stage gate process with local decision-makers.

The stage gate process should have evidence-based outcomes documenting the success of the Level 2 governance implementation, bringing regional confidence that more sustainable mobility progress is possible with a new transportation authority empowered with enhanced funding levels. Potential key performance indicators for a stage gate process to discern the value in advancing from an expanded CRD authority to establishing a Level 3 new transportation authority could be related to:

i. Regional sustainable mode split, ii. Vision Zero and Safe Systems road safety action plan, iii. Implementation of a TDM, and iv. Increased senior government funding through a united voice on regionally significant projects. v.

Conclusion

This Response Supplement has been provided to assist in articulating Saanich’s responses to the CRD TGE Workbook, considering Saanich’s sustainable mobility, safety, and growth plans.