Letter from BC Transit re: Request to participate in an Island Hwy Transit Priority and Park & Ride Study

RE – Request to participate in an Island Hwy Transit Priority and Park & Ride Study

The Victoria Region’s 2011 Transit Future Plan provides a vision for transit over the next 25 years to support the economic, social and environmental sustainability goals of the region. The Transit Future Plan, endorsed by the Transit Commission, was based on local government land use and transportation plans including the Regional Growth Strategy, Travel Choices and Official Community Plans.

In an effort to keep local governments informed about the progress towards the vision of the Transit Future Plan and implementation of the Transit Future Network, an annual update report is attached. The Transit Future Update Report highlights transit improvement initiatives completed in the last year as well as initiatives that are being planned for the next fiscal year. The report also includes a strategic roadmap that identifies all Transit Future Initiatives completed to date and a longer term outlook of initiatives planned for the next one to three years and four to seven years.

As part of this year’s priorities, the plan identifies the need to commence preliminary planning measures for transit priority options for the Island Highway and the need to study and identify locations for future Park and Ride facilities in the Westshore. As a way to inform planning decisions, BC Transit on behalf of the Transit Commission would like to invite the Town of View Royal along with our local partners at the City of Colwood to participate in a Transit Priority and Park and Ride Study for the Island Highway Corridor. Included in this review will be an assessment of the value of transit priority measures such as improvements to road geometry, Smart Bus technologies, transit signal priority and signal timing. Consideration will also be given to improving transit stops to enhance the passenger realm, pedestrian connections and transit operations.

We would like to request that staff be asked to work with BC Transit on the Transit Priority and Park and Ride study. If council is looking for additional information, we would be happy to attend a future council meeting to discuss.

BC Transit and the Transit Commission remain committed to working with municipalities to make transit a viable and attractive transportation choice for transit customers in View Royal and the region as a whole.

Together, with your support, we will continue to provide transportation solutions that connect people and communities to a more sustainable future.

Yours sincerely,

James Wadsworth Planning Manager, BC Transit