Sept. 11 - My comment at close of today's Transportation Committee meeting prior to a strongly unanimous vote to move the establishing bylaw for the CRD Transportation Service forward to this afternoon's Board meeting ... modified a little in the delivery.
"I’ll vote in favour of this motion now and will leave it to Director Tait to address this at the board this afternoon. As a prelude to her comments, let me say that we have very significant future taxpayer impacts here in Sooke … “holy mackeral” said Director Kobayashi in reference to Colwood’s tax hikes, well I’ll Sooke-ify that and say “holy coho salmon” here where we are looking at a huge, by our standards, borrowing referendum to build-out our bypass route ... this in a long-planned and delayed bid to alleviate increasingly dense rush hour afternoon traffic that is dramatically impacting our more than 2,000 commuters and everyone else using Highway 14 ... which we now and in future will argue is a regionally significant route.
We absolutely recognize that we must deal with our own road network here in Motor City, yet as Director Desjardins said, many of us also recognize that all the regional routes, roads and trails that feed into Hwy 14 and our own region will benefit from this new service.
* Mode shift (transit use, carpooling, telecommuting) will be encouraged and facilitated
* Coordinated action will continue in building out BC Transit's rapid bus network.
* And serious attention will finally go to developing light rail/rapid transit corridors linking the west shore to the core.
Our hope, of course, is that given the volume of Greater Victoria traffic that does use Highway 14 to reach our magnificent beaches and parks, this vital road rates very much as a, quote, "high priority capital project of regional significance" which does indeed pass through multiple municipalities. We look forward to championing this point as this service moves ahead and begins its important work."
Update: September 10, 2024
The establishing bylaw for the Regional Transportation Service (RTS) goes to the CRD Transportation Committee and, if approved, the CRD Board today. It's intended to be the next logical and needed piece of a regional transportation puzzle at a time when traffic, transit, BC Ferries and transportation woes in general related to the south half of Vancouver Island are of growing public concern (read: alarm). All of us want to travel, as we've long been accustomed for the most part on the south island, smoothly, swiftly and as efficiently as possible via whatever our chosen mode.
Building on existing services and introducing new ones, the RTS is designed to further advance the CRD's three key transportation goals: "reduce carbon pollution; support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use; and address congestion."
To do so, it would focus on eight service categories: Active Transportation and Road Safety; Multi-Modal Networks and Connectivity; New Mobility Services; Data Management and Traffic Analysis; Behaviour Change; Grants and Funding; Transit and Mobility Hubs; and short, medium and long-term transportation planning. This work would be to the benefit of all 13 municipalities, including those of us at the perimeter given that we too use and rely on the same linked south-island networks and must participate in this generational shift if we're ever to unclog our road system.
Bottom line on the Sooke tax bill: The $39.10 now paid annually on an average assessed property for current CRD transportation services will slightly more than double over time (perhaps five years) to $75.91 at a maximum as the RTS evolves. [Other municipalities would pay considerably more. (Victoria residents, covering 23% of the total $20m annual budget, will pay $100; Saanich (25%) - $111; Oak Bay (6%) - $175.)] Sooke continues to contribute 2.8% overall.
[Yes, full acknowledgement that all this is adding up big-time, especially when the potential tax payback on build-out of the Throup connector should a referendum a) be called; and b) approved is now estimated to be upwards of $350 per average assessed household over a 20+ year period -- this being the figure cited by CAO Gray at council on Monday night.]
The CRD already undertakes a wide range of transportation functions, however the new service would enhance and expand regional ambitions. First step: Creation of a new Regional Transportation Plan along with expanded existing programs related to data collection, monitoring, behaviour change (higher transit use and carpooling, for notable instance) and transportation demand management (in the latter case generating a plan such as that guiding the City of Vancouver.)
Reads the staff report (see item 4.1): "Through the ongoing implementation of the RTS, the CRD will be well-positioned to support local governments in developing transit-oriented communities and to work with BC Transit, the Province, and the federal government to pursue expressions of higher-order transit for the region, including working collaboratively as a regional partner in pursuing Canada Public Transit Fund investment opportunities." (The latter fund was established this year and will "permanently" deliver $3 billion per year for public transit and active transportation infrastructure projects across Canada starting in 2026/27 -- always with the proviso that a new government doesn't slash it.)
"The goal of creating a RTS is to create more tools to advance regional connectivity and integrated mobility. CRD's existing transportation functions are focused on a coordinating and monitoring role, limited to planning, data collection and analysis, and policy support, collaboratively working with local governments, the Province and partner agencies. A new transportation service would consolidate existing CRD transportation functions, with additional scope to develop new programs in approved service categories that the CRD can deliver without requiring legislative change."
Of necessity given this a regional government, the RTS will focus on "high priority capital projects of regional significance." That rules out investment in our own road network here in Motor City, yet all the routes, roads and trails that feed into Hwy 14 and our own region will benefit. Mode shift (transit use, carpooling, telecommuting) will be encouraged. Coordinated action will continue in building out BC Transit's rapid bus network. And serious attention will go to developing light rail/rapid transit corridors linking the west shore to the core. All this is of significant interest to our commuter population and anyone who travels into the core.
Elsewhere on an increasingly congested southern Vancouver Island: Old dreams have resurfaced to the point that, in June, the Province issued a FAQ re: a Salish Sea-spanning link from Richmond to a suitable point in the Nanaimo/Duncan area. (Conclusion: "The costs of a fixed-link construction project may not be affordable for the provincial government to undertake for many years to come. As technology advances, the ministry would be willing to look at any proposals the private sector brings forward.")
Much more realistically, the Island Rail Corridor Foundation continues its long, frustrating and yet increasingly tangible campaign to re-establish passenger and freight rail service from Courtenay to Victoria (with a notable, for us in Sooke, addition of frequent rush-hour commuter service from the West Hills station in Langford into downtown and back, a dream that this new CRD service could fast-track in association with multiple partners.)
Original post: May 23, 2024
Home from the second of three straight days of driving to and from Victoria. Yesterday's return trip began at 5:30 PM from the parking garage next door to the CRD HQ on Fisgard Street. I turned left onto Douglas and within blocks was trapped in a slo-mo jam that extended for at least 45 minutes until traffic began to flow as we approached Helmken. No apparent accidents, just heavy late rush-hour congestion. Today all was well on leaving Victoria (again from Fisgard) at 2:30 until the traffic slowed at Woodlands in response to the congestion caused by the schools as they broke for the day. Gratefully back by 3:45. (Yes, I could have taken the bus.)
Tomorrow, I'm carpooling with Mayor Tait and Cllr. St-Pierre to attend the CRD's day-long Regional Transportation Governance workshop at the University of Victoria. It begins at 9:30 and ends at 3:30, so we will collectively experience the rush hours both ways. Wish us well. (And if you're a regular commuter, we understand if do not routinely experience your daily pain and uncertainty. What a shut-in like me discovered anew is that South Island traffic is still atrocious, period, full stop/crawl -- regardless of the Mackenzie exchange and other six-figure road projects. Clear evidence we need better all-of-region strategies as well as local fixes.)
The workshop will bring together senior CRD staff and elected representatives from CRD municipalities and regional First Nations "to gain clarity, discuss benefits and concerns, and provide input on all eight categories of functions being considered for potential inclusion in the service establishment bylaw (for a first-time Regional Transportation Authority)."
Desired examples
~ TransLink
~ List of Public Transit Authorities in Canada
Starting point: CRD Regional Transportation web page
- Regional Transportation Plan (see pg. 72) predicated on establishment of a regional transportation service authority
- CRD Transportation Priority Area Implementation Strategies (2022)
2011-18: "ln 2Q11, the Board agreed that the CRD would move to take on a significant transportation role, including requisitioning for capital projects and pursuing a role in transit. Changes in grant funding allocations and provincial approaches subsequently rendered those roles less feasible. ln response to these changes, in 2016 the CRD Board unanimously directed staff to draft a Transportation Service Bylaw reflecting the new landscape. The draft was reviewed with municipalities and electoral areas and adjusted in response to their feedback. The bylaw resulting from that feedback was given third reading on January 10, 2018. The Board is now seeking your Council's support for the revised bylaw (Bylaw 4093)." - CRD Board Chair Steve Price, Jan. 2018
Regional Transportation Service Establishment FAQ (January, 2018)
Result: "A service feasibility study was completed, a service establishment bylaw was drafted and all municipalities and electoral areas were consulted. The Board chose not to establish a service due to insufficient support. The CRD lost its core funding source when the Federal Gas Tax Fund, which had originally been dedicated to regional transportation priorities, was redirected to local governments. No new funding has been allocated to transportation at a regional level."
- See March 14, 2018 CRD Board agenda item 6.6. Proposed Transportation Service Bylaw 4093 stalled out as per municipal responses in Appendix B.
Support: Highlands, Oak Bay (conditional), Saanich, Sidney, View Royal
Opposed: Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Metchosin, North Saanich, Sooke, Victoria
Colwood and Metchosin replies from then-Mayors Hamilton and Ranns were especially damning. (Wrote Hamilton: "The CRD's eagerness to create a vague ill-defined service for the purpose of political gain is very short sighted." She argued that the Victoria Regional Transit Commission was sufficient to need. Hamilton also stated that MOTI was not in favour of the proposal).
Both letters were included in the Sooke agenda package of Feb. 13, 2018. As per the minutes that night:
"Council discussion:
• Similar proposal has come before Council in the past.
• Colwood, Langford and Metchosin have all stated their opposition.
• Benefit to Sooke vs. cost of implementation.
MOVED by Councillor Berger, seconded by Councillor Parkinson: THAT Council reject Bylaw No. 4093 “Capital Regional District Transportation Service Establishment Bylaw No. 4093, 2018”. CARRIED.
In Favour: Mayor Tait, Councillor Berger, Councillor Kasper, and Councillor Parkinson
Absent: Councillor Logins, Councillor Pearson, and Councillor Reay"
2022: Transportation governance re-established as a goal in the CRD Board Strategic Plan, 2022-2026
2023: CRD Transportation Governance Engagement Workbook (distributed in July 2023 for feedback from all municipalities; example: Response from Saanich)
- My thoughts shared in Sooke's response:
- "Key question: What will the new service cost Sooke residents relative to those in the core communities who, per-capita, will most benefit from the work of a transportation authority?
- Highway 14 is unlikely to rate highly in regional priorities given our relatively light (20,000 vehicles there-and-back daily) traffic volume compared to elsewhere in the CRD. What role might the TA play in addressing our unique, challenging, MOTI-controlled, one road in/out circumstances along a regional corridor?
- Sooke has growing “internalized” traffic congestion - 17k trips daily. Would the TA have any role in helping the District implement its 2020 Transportation Master Plan?
- Level 2 behavioural change work would be welcome. How would the TA work with the District on its own initiatives, i.e. the new Active Routes to School program?
- Would the authority assist Sooke in lobbying BC Transit for fuller implementation of the Sooke Local Area Transit Plan?
Challenges?
- The growing volume of vehicles – often single-occupancy – on Highway 14
- BC Transit’s decision to remove double-deckers for the #61 and the hardships this imposes on passengers
- Delays in implementation of BC Transit’s Sooke Local Area Transit Plan for neighbourhood routes
Why is transportation governance change important?
- Regional planning on identified corridors to ease congestion, encourage mode shift
- Collaborative work together with a regional perspective
- Behavioural change campaigns: Road and pedestrian safety, carpooling
- Regional car-sharing and ride-hailing coordination
- Ability to advocate collectively with the province and Ottawa + grants
- Staff and funding capacity to undertake projects beyond current scope of smaller municipalities."
Times Colonist, Sept. 2023: "The major benefits [of a transportation authority] will be that we can speak with a unified voice instead of 13 or 14 different opinions on what the priority is for transportation in our region,” said Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock, chair of the transportation committee.
The last time the board attempted to establish a regional transportation authority was in 2018, but that fell apart when the West Shore pulled its support. Opponents worried their priorities might be overshadowed by those of the core municipalities and that a new CRD service would only add bureaucracy and cost.
Only five of 13 area municipalities supported the idea, with those in support arguing a new transportation authority would enable the identification of regional transportation priorities and allow local governments to speak with a unified voice to senior governments when seeking funds.
The difference this time seems to be new directors around the board table who are willing to work together.
Murdock said the region’s residents want local governments to work better together to create better transportation options, so people can get around more easily. He noted the key goals are to ease congestion during peak travel times, reduce emissions and support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use.
The idea is to gradually increase levels of regional authority, starting by bringing planning for the transportation network together with regional trails. The next level would give the CRD tools to raise and administer funds and attract more funding to the region, which would lead to establishing a new authority that would make decisions about service levels and investment."
- CRD Board, Dec. 13, 2023 ~ see item 8.10 for results of municipal surveys in form of a What We Heard report. One excerpt from it ...
"General Observations
Regional approaches were supported for new mobility services, behaviour change, and transit and a local approach was preferred for active transportation
The categories without majority agreement are connectivity, grants, traffic flow and congestion, funding, and transportation planning.
• Respondents show very high levels of agreement on shared expectations, concerns, benefits and high-level priorities related to the Regional Multi-modal Network. Responses to values-based questions could be used to develop principles to help guide CRD Board decision-making about transportation governance.
• A majority of respondents support taking a regional approach to new mobility services, behaviour change, and transit. A majority of respondents also support taking a local approach to active transportation. Areas of majority agreement should be the focus of governance changethis CRD Board term.
• Respondents have mixed levels of support for taking a regional or local approach to the other transportation functions explored in the questionnaire. Connectivity, grants, traffic flow and congestion, funding and transportation planning require additional dialogue to build higher levels of agreement before they can be considered in scope for governance change.
• A funding strategy will be needed to advance governance changes. Grants and funding should be considered as part of developing this funding strategy." '
Eight categories of functions being considered for a CRD Transportation Authority
1. Active Transportation and Road Safety
- Active Transportation Infrastructure and Policy (coordinated regional approach)
- Vision Zero with a Safe Systems approach (municipal responsibility but potentially with regional guidance and assistance)
2. New Mobility ...
- defined as anything that isn't a traditional mode (bike, bus, personal vehicle)
- Ride Sharing (Uber, Carpooling, etc.), Car Sharing (EVO, Modo, etc.), Bike Sharing
- Micro E-Mobility ~ "electric micro-mobility is the use of small, lightweight vehicles, typically two-wheeled or single-wheeled, powered by an electric motor with a rechargeable battery and a range suitable for getting around town. From pedal assist bicycles to electric scooters, from hoverboards to monowheels and Segways, these "new entries" in urban mobility will likely play an important role in the sustainable mobility of the future."
3. Behaviour Change
- Transportation Demand Management, Education and Engagement/Outreach
"TDM focuses on understanding how people make their transportation decisions and influencing people’s behavior to use existing infrastructure in more efficient ways, like reducing single occupancy vehicle trips and getting people to use transit, ridesharing, walking, biking, and telework." - Mobility Lab
- BC Transit examples:
* EcoPASS for New Developments: "The BC Transit EcoPASS for New Developments is a transit pass program offering developers the option to purchase annual passes for the occupants of a new residential, commercial, or mixed-use development ... a potential transit-oriented solution for parking variance requests."
* ProPass for employers: "A convenient annual program available to employees through employer facilitated payroll deductions. The ProPass program saves almost 15% off the cost of a monthly bus pass, over a 12-month period this is an annual savings of $144.50."
* U-PASS: "Gives students at the University of Victoria, Camosun College, and Royal Roads unlimited access to travel on all Victoria Regional transit services during their enrolled term. Fee included in a student’s tuition payment."
- Supportive Development Management Policies
(see CAA Ridesharing and Carpooling Report, 2020)
- Expanded resources for ...
i) Ready Step Roll (Sustainable School Commute Planning)
ii) Sustainable Commute Planning (Workplace; City of Vancouver example)
4. Transit and Mobility Hubs
- Long-Range, Regional Transit Planning
- Focus on "Higher-Order Transit," defined as "transit that operates in whole or in part in a dedicated right of way, including light rail and buses."
- Mobility Hubs at Major Transit Exchanges
* BC Transit: Victoria Region Rapid Transit - What's Happened So Far
* Identifying Best Practices for Mobility Hubs (UBC, 2019) - i.e., suitable parking, sheltered bike space and
5. Multi-modal Network and Connectivity
- Regional Multi-modal Network (RMN)
- as defined by the Regional Transportation Plan. See map of Mobility Hubs.
- Built Environment Network Consistency
* creating model bylaws and policies for CRD-wide standards for road classifications, complete-street design and wayfinding
- Equity and Accessibility
- Regional Collaboration and Relationships
6. Data Management and Traffic Analysis
- Multi-modal Data Collection and Analysis
"A new CRD service could deliver an expanded traffic data monitoring program, including implementing a system of sensors to provide real-time continuous vehicle volume counts and travel time for buses, vehicles, and trucks on key corridors in the RMN." + 10 Ways to Count Traffic + Colwood's Traffic Dashboard
- Establish an Open Data Portal
7. Grants and Funding
- Regional Granting Body
"Currently, most grants are applied for separately by each municipality. A regional service is needed to apply for and distribute grants to prioritize projects on the RMN."
- Joint Procurement
"Joint procurement is when two government bodies work together to purchase goods and services to achieve cost savings through economies of scale and reduced redundant procurement procedures. Currently, local governments and electoral areas in the CRD procure transportation-related goods and services individually, with some cases of joint procurement done on a per project basis."
- example, e-fleet group purchases
- Regional Advocacy Approach
8. Transportation Plans
- Regional Transportation Planning
"Under the current structure of transportation governance, the CRD is limited to planning and policy support, working with partners to advance actions in the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan. In recent years, the region's municipalities have completed various transportation (and active transportation) plans and studies within their boundaries. There is also the Transit Future Plan (BC Transit, 2011), RTP (CRD, 2014), and South Island Transportation Strategy (MoTI, 2020). Some aspects of these plans align, and some aspects are out of sync."
- Goods Movement Strategy
- Climate Change Risk Assessment
"With a new CRD transportation service, staff could support other departments in undertaking risk assessments of critical transportation services and infrastructure on the RMN related to the potential impacts of a changing climate.
Potential Timeline
- Service establishment (2024): Pending direction, undertake service approval and enact a service establishment bylaw.
- Implementation and delivery (2025-ongoing): Implement the required internal changes to increase service levels and prove the feasibility of the service, measured against performance indicators.
- Business case for a transportation authority (2025-2026): Pending level of support, begin a business case for a new authority, which could include transit integration.
- Delivery (2026): Advocate for legislative change and implement a new authority, as directed.
From the CRD Board Update of May 8, 2024
Transportation Governance Update
"The purpose of the regional transportation governance initiative is to create more tools to advance regional connectivity and mobility by establishing a new regional transportation service. To support the development of a service establishment bylaw, targeted engagement is needed to seek input from mayors, councillors, electoral area directors, First Nations, senior local government staff and senior staff from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and BC Transit."
From the staff report: "The next phase of engagement is divided into two streams. One stream is ongoing consultation with local government staff, BC Transit and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI). The other stream is a regional workshop in May 2024, bringing together political and staff representatives from local governments, electoral areas and First Nations. The workshop will seek input on potential service categories, including what new programs are possible to add to consolidated CRD functions if the category is included in the establishment bylaw."
Background
From my CRD Overview 2023 blog entry last spring
Transportation
- Regional Transportation Plan (2014)
- Regional Transportation Report Card (2021)
- South Island Transportation Strategy (2020) + Technical Report #2
- Transportation Priority Areas + Implementation Strategies
- Transportation Service Feasibility Study (2014)
- Governmental roles within Greater Victoria (infographic)
- Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan (2011) + Bikenomics in the Capital Region (2015)
Preliminary consideration for a regional transportation authority: See files on pg. 2 of Transportation Committee meeting agenda of May 17, 2023. <clip> "The CRD shares many of the same transportation goals as other metropolitan regions: Ease congestion during peak travel times, reduce emissions, and support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use. Similarly, the CRD is not the only jurisdiction trying to integrate different transportation modes into a single planning framework, ensure the right authorities are in place and find dedicated funding to meet service levels."
Summer 2023: "Broadly engage local governments, BC Transit, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), BC Ferries and the airport authority and analyze level of consensus of possible change."
- BC Transit Annual Report to the CRD (Sept. 2023, see item 3.2)
- Transit Future Plan Network development
- RapidBus implementation - Blink West Shore RapidBus Line launched in April, 2023
- 10 battery electric buses to be in service on Langford-Victoria routes
- committed to transitioning to a fully electric fleet by 2040
- Island Coastal Inter-Community Transportation Study (July 2023)
- "Transportation Act now allows the Province to acquire land for the purpose of building housing and community amenities to serve people near transit stations and bus exchanges."
2022 Origin Destination Household Travel Survey
(released Sept. 2023, see item 4.2 ... Appendix A is the final report based on household survey conducted between Sept. 28 and Dec. 17, 2022. The survey documents respondent travel patterns for an average 24-hour weekday.)
"* Goal 1: Reduce congestion in the morning and afternoon peak periods: People are taking fewer trips, with a 10% reduction in total trips in 2022 despite a 9% increase in population since 2017. This trend can be attributed to changing travel behaviours in the densely populated Core (Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt and View Royal). However, trips within the Westshore (Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin and Sooke), and between the Westshore and the Core and the Saanich Peninsula (Central Saanich, Sidney and North Saanich), are slightly higher in 2022.
Trip volumes are also slightly down. People taking fewer trips throughout the day correspond to reductions in work and school commutes, as well as shopping, restaurant/bar, social activities and other activities that occur outside the commuter peaks. All these reductions are consistent with the lingering effects of pandemic activity shifts.
* Goal 2: Increase the number of people walking, cycling and taking transit: Mode share continues to trend in the right direction, with 29% of trips made by walking, cycling and transit use. This is up from the 2017 mode share of 26.6%. The regional mode share goal is 45%. As with trip volumes, mode share varies depending on where you live in the region.
* Goal 3: Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector: In addition to gains in mode share, the region is also showing gains in the number of EVs-only. The gain in EVs between 2017 and 2022 is significant from 1,900 to 11,900 vehicles. EVs now represent 4% of the region’s private vehicles, with hybrids at 3% and plug-in hybrids at 1%. Note that the numbers in the OD survey reflect the responses of surveyed households and may not correspond to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s vehicle population breakdown."
- Surveys are conducted every five years:
Household Travel Destination Survey (2017)
Household Travel Destination Survey (2002)
Sooke findings ...
297 surveys in Sooke … 4.6% sample of 6,400 households
2022 Sooke 24-hour analysis of local and regional trips
- 17,400 "internalized" trips within District of Sooke
- 10,000 trips elsewhere within the CRD
- 10,000 trips from CRD municipalities to Sooke
- 19,900 two-way total … representing 1.6% of total there-and-back trips in CRD
2017 Sooke 24-hour analysis
- 17,200 internalized trips within DOS
- 9,300 trips elsewhere in CRD
- 9,000 from other CRD municipalities to Sooke
- 18,300 two-way total … representing 1.3% of there-and-back trips in CRD
"Almost half the trips generated by residents of Sooke District and First Nations and Saanich East remain in the same district, at 48% and 46% respectively. Highlands, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area and First Nations and Metchosin and First Nation have the lowest internalization rates, at 3%, 7% and 12% respectively."
Image from the What We Heard report re: municipal support for various service categories
"I’ll vote in favour of this motion now and will leave it to Director Tait to address this at the board this afternoon. As a prelude to her comments, let me say that we have very significant future taxpayer impacts here in Sooke … “holy mackeral” said Director Kobayashi in reference to Colwood’s tax hikes, well I’ll Sooke-ify that and say “holy coho salmon” here where we are looking at a huge, by our standards, borrowing referendum to build-out our bypass route ... this in a long-planned and delayed bid to alleviate increasingly dense rush hour afternoon traffic that is dramatically impacting our more than 2,000 commuters and everyone else using Highway 14 ... which we now and in future will argue is a regionally significant route.
We absolutely recognize that we must deal with our own road network here in Motor City, yet as Director Desjardins said, many of us also recognize that all the regional routes, roads and trails that feed into Hwy 14 and our own region will benefit from this new service.
* Mode shift (transit use, carpooling, telecommuting) will be encouraged and facilitated
* Coordinated action will continue in building out BC Transit's rapid bus network.
* And serious attention will finally go to developing light rail/rapid transit corridors linking the west shore to the core.
Our hope, of course, is that given the volume of Greater Victoria traffic that does use Highway 14 to reach our magnificent beaches and parks, this vital road rates very much as a, quote, "high priority capital project of regional significance" which does indeed pass through multiple municipalities. We look forward to championing this point as this service moves ahead and begins its important work."
Update: September 10, 2024
The establishing bylaw for the Regional Transportation Service (RTS) goes to the CRD Transportation Committee and, if approved, the CRD Board today. It's intended to be the next logical and needed piece of a regional transportation puzzle at a time when traffic, transit, BC Ferries and transportation woes in general related to the south half of Vancouver Island are of growing public concern (read: alarm). All of us want to travel, as we've long been accustomed for the most part on the south island, smoothly, swiftly and as efficiently as possible via whatever our chosen mode.
Building on existing services and introducing new ones, the RTS is designed to further advance the CRD's three key transportation goals: "reduce carbon pollution; support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use; and address congestion."
To do so, it would focus on eight service categories: Active Transportation and Road Safety; Multi-Modal Networks and Connectivity; New Mobility Services; Data Management and Traffic Analysis; Behaviour Change; Grants and Funding; Transit and Mobility Hubs; and short, medium and long-term transportation planning. This work would be to the benefit of all 13 municipalities, including those of us at the perimeter given that we too use and rely on the same linked south-island networks and must participate in this generational shift if we're ever to unclog our road system.
Bottom line on the Sooke tax bill: The $39.10 now paid annually on an average assessed property for current CRD transportation services will slightly more than double over time (perhaps five years) to $75.91 at a maximum as the RTS evolves. [Other municipalities would pay considerably more. (Victoria residents, covering 23% of the total $20m annual budget, will pay $100; Saanich (25%) - $111; Oak Bay (6%) - $175.)] Sooke continues to contribute 2.8% overall.
[Yes, full acknowledgement that all this is adding up big-time, especially when the potential tax payback on build-out of the Throup connector should a referendum a) be called; and b) approved is now estimated to be upwards of $350 per average assessed household over a 20+ year period -- this being the figure cited by CAO Gray at council on Monday night.]
The CRD already undertakes a wide range of transportation functions, however the new service would enhance and expand regional ambitions. First step: Creation of a new Regional Transportation Plan along with expanded existing programs related to data collection, monitoring, behaviour change (higher transit use and carpooling, for notable instance) and transportation demand management (in the latter case generating a plan such as that guiding the City of Vancouver.)
Reads the staff report (see item 4.1): "Through the ongoing implementation of the RTS, the CRD will be well-positioned to support local governments in developing transit-oriented communities and to work with BC Transit, the Province, and the federal government to pursue expressions of higher-order transit for the region, including working collaboratively as a regional partner in pursuing Canada Public Transit Fund investment opportunities." (The latter fund was established this year and will "permanently" deliver $3 billion per year for public transit and active transportation infrastructure projects across Canada starting in 2026/27 -- always with the proviso that a new government doesn't slash it.)
"The goal of creating a RTS is to create more tools to advance regional connectivity and integrated mobility. CRD's existing transportation functions are focused on a coordinating and monitoring role, limited to planning, data collection and analysis, and policy support, collaboratively working with local governments, the Province and partner agencies. A new transportation service would consolidate existing CRD transportation functions, with additional scope to develop new programs in approved service categories that the CRD can deliver without requiring legislative change."
Of necessity given this a regional government, the RTS will focus on "high priority capital projects of regional significance." That rules out investment in our own road network here in Motor City, yet all the routes, roads and trails that feed into Hwy 14 and our own region will benefit. Mode shift (transit use, carpooling, telecommuting) will be encouraged. Coordinated action will continue in building out BC Transit's rapid bus network. And serious attention will go to developing light rail/rapid transit corridors linking the west shore to the core. All this is of significant interest to our commuter population and anyone who travels into the core.
Elsewhere on an increasingly congested southern Vancouver Island: Old dreams have resurfaced to the point that, in June, the Province issued a FAQ re: a Salish Sea-spanning link from Richmond to a suitable point in the Nanaimo/Duncan area. (Conclusion: "The costs of a fixed-link construction project may not be affordable for the provincial government to undertake for many years to come. As technology advances, the ministry would be willing to look at any proposals the private sector brings forward.")
Much more realistically, the Island Rail Corridor Foundation continues its long, frustrating and yet increasingly tangible campaign to re-establish passenger and freight rail service from Courtenay to Victoria (with a notable, for us in Sooke, addition of frequent rush-hour commuter service from the West Hills station in Langford into downtown and back, a dream that this new CRD service could fast-track in association with multiple partners.)
Original post: May 23, 2024
Home from the second of three straight days of driving to and from Victoria. Yesterday's return trip began at 5:30 PM from the parking garage next door to the CRD HQ on Fisgard Street. I turned left onto Douglas and within blocks was trapped in a slo-mo jam that extended for at least 45 minutes until traffic began to flow as we approached Helmken. No apparent accidents, just heavy late rush-hour congestion. Today all was well on leaving Victoria (again from Fisgard) at 2:30 until the traffic slowed at Woodlands in response to the congestion caused by the schools as they broke for the day. Gratefully back by 3:45. (Yes, I could have taken the bus.)
Tomorrow, I'm carpooling with Mayor Tait and Cllr. St-Pierre to attend the CRD's day-long Regional Transportation Governance workshop at the University of Victoria. It begins at 9:30 and ends at 3:30, so we will collectively experience the rush hours both ways. Wish us well. (And if you're a regular commuter, we understand if do not routinely experience your daily pain and uncertainty. What a shut-in like me discovered anew is that South Island traffic is still atrocious, period, full stop/crawl -- regardless of the Mackenzie exchange and other six-figure road projects. Clear evidence we need better all-of-region strategies as well as local fixes.)
The workshop will bring together senior CRD staff and elected representatives from CRD municipalities and regional First Nations "to gain clarity, discuss benefits and concerns, and provide input on all eight categories of functions being considered for potential inclusion in the service establishment bylaw (for a first-time Regional Transportation Authority)."
Desired examples
~ TransLink
~ List of Public Transit Authorities in Canada
Starting point: CRD Regional Transportation web page
- Regional Transportation Plan (see pg. 72) predicated on establishment of a regional transportation service authority
- CRD Transportation Priority Area Implementation Strategies (2022)
2011-18: "ln 2Q11, the Board agreed that the CRD would move to take on a significant transportation role, including requisitioning for capital projects and pursuing a role in transit. Changes in grant funding allocations and provincial approaches subsequently rendered those roles less feasible. ln response to these changes, in 2016 the CRD Board unanimously directed staff to draft a Transportation Service Bylaw reflecting the new landscape. The draft was reviewed with municipalities and electoral areas and adjusted in response to their feedback. The bylaw resulting from that feedback was given third reading on January 10, 2018. The Board is now seeking your Council's support for the revised bylaw (Bylaw 4093)." - CRD Board Chair Steve Price, Jan. 2018
Regional Transportation Service Establishment FAQ (January, 2018)
Result: "A service feasibility study was completed, a service establishment bylaw was drafted and all municipalities and electoral areas were consulted. The Board chose not to establish a service due to insufficient support. The CRD lost its core funding source when the Federal Gas Tax Fund, which had originally been dedicated to regional transportation priorities, was redirected to local governments. No new funding has been allocated to transportation at a regional level."
- See March 14, 2018 CRD Board agenda item 6.6. Proposed Transportation Service Bylaw 4093 stalled out as per municipal responses in Appendix B.
Support: Highlands, Oak Bay (conditional), Saanich, Sidney, View Royal
Opposed: Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, Metchosin, North Saanich, Sooke, Victoria
Colwood and Metchosin replies from then-Mayors Hamilton and Ranns were especially damning. (Wrote Hamilton: "The CRD's eagerness to create a vague ill-defined service for the purpose of political gain is very short sighted." She argued that the Victoria Regional Transit Commission was sufficient to need. Hamilton also stated that MOTI was not in favour of the proposal).
Both letters were included in the Sooke agenda package of Feb. 13, 2018. As per the minutes that night:
"Council discussion:
• Similar proposal has come before Council in the past.
• Colwood, Langford and Metchosin have all stated their opposition.
• Benefit to Sooke vs. cost of implementation.
MOVED by Councillor Berger, seconded by Councillor Parkinson: THAT Council reject Bylaw No. 4093 “Capital Regional District Transportation Service Establishment Bylaw No. 4093, 2018”. CARRIED.
In Favour: Mayor Tait, Councillor Berger, Councillor Kasper, and Councillor Parkinson
Absent: Councillor Logins, Councillor Pearson, and Councillor Reay"
2022: Transportation governance re-established as a goal in the CRD Board Strategic Plan, 2022-2026
2023: CRD Transportation Governance Engagement Workbook (distributed in July 2023 for feedback from all municipalities; example: Response from Saanich)
- My thoughts shared in Sooke's response:
- "Key question: What will the new service cost Sooke residents relative to those in the core communities who, per-capita, will most benefit from the work of a transportation authority?
- Highway 14 is unlikely to rate highly in regional priorities given our relatively light (20,000 vehicles there-and-back daily) traffic volume compared to elsewhere in the CRD. What role might the TA play in addressing our unique, challenging, MOTI-controlled, one road in/out circumstances along a regional corridor?
- Sooke has growing “internalized” traffic congestion - 17k trips daily. Would the TA have any role in helping the District implement its 2020 Transportation Master Plan?
- Level 2 behavioural change work would be welcome. How would the TA work with the District on its own initiatives, i.e. the new Active Routes to School program?
- Would the authority assist Sooke in lobbying BC Transit for fuller implementation of the Sooke Local Area Transit Plan?
Challenges?
- The growing volume of vehicles – often single-occupancy – on Highway 14
- BC Transit’s decision to remove double-deckers for the #61 and the hardships this imposes on passengers
- Delays in implementation of BC Transit’s Sooke Local Area Transit Plan for neighbourhood routes
Why is transportation governance change important?
- Regional planning on identified corridors to ease congestion, encourage mode shift
- Collaborative work together with a regional perspective
- Behavioural change campaigns: Road and pedestrian safety, carpooling
- Regional car-sharing and ride-hailing coordination
- Ability to advocate collectively with the province and Ottawa + grants
- Staff and funding capacity to undertake projects beyond current scope of smaller municipalities."
Times Colonist, Sept. 2023: "The major benefits [of a transportation authority] will be that we can speak with a unified voice instead of 13 or 14 different opinions on what the priority is for transportation in our region,” said Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock, chair of the transportation committee.
The last time the board attempted to establish a regional transportation authority was in 2018, but that fell apart when the West Shore pulled its support. Opponents worried their priorities might be overshadowed by those of the core municipalities and that a new CRD service would only add bureaucracy and cost.
Only five of 13 area municipalities supported the idea, with those in support arguing a new transportation authority would enable the identification of regional transportation priorities and allow local governments to speak with a unified voice to senior governments when seeking funds.
The difference this time seems to be new directors around the board table who are willing to work together.
Murdock said the region’s residents want local governments to work better together to create better transportation options, so people can get around more easily. He noted the key goals are to ease congestion during peak travel times, reduce emissions and support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use.
The idea is to gradually increase levels of regional authority, starting by bringing planning for the transportation network together with regional trails. The next level would give the CRD tools to raise and administer funds and attract more funding to the region, which would lead to establishing a new authority that would make decisions about service levels and investment."
- CRD Board, Dec. 13, 2023 ~ see item 8.10 for results of municipal surveys in form of a What We Heard report. One excerpt from it ...
"General Observations
Regional approaches were supported for new mobility services, behaviour change, and transit and a local approach was preferred for active transportation
The categories without majority agreement are connectivity, grants, traffic flow and congestion, funding, and transportation planning.
• Respondents show very high levels of agreement on shared expectations, concerns, benefits and high-level priorities related to the Regional Multi-modal Network. Responses to values-based questions could be used to develop principles to help guide CRD Board decision-making about transportation governance.
• A majority of respondents support taking a regional approach to new mobility services, behaviour change, and transit. A majority of respondents also support taking a local approach to active transportation. Areas of majority agreement should be the focus of governance changethis CRD Board term.
• Respondents have mixed levels of support for taking a regional or local approach to the other transportation functions explored in the questionnaire. Connectivity, grants, traffic flow and congestion, funding and transportation planning require additional dialogue to build higher levels of agreement before they can be considered in scope for governance change.
• A funding strategy will be needed to advance governance changes. Grants and funding should be considered as part of developing this funding strategy." '
Eight categories of functions being considered for a CRD Transportation Authority
1. Active Transportation and Road Safety
- Active Transportation Infrastructure and Policy (coordinated regional approach)
- Vision Zero with a Safe Systems approach (municipal responsibility but potentially with regional guidance and assistance)
2. New Mobility ...
- defined as anything that isn't a traditional mode (bike, bus, personal vehicle)
- Ride Sharing (Uber, Carpooling, etc.), Car Sharing (EVO, Modo, etc.), Bike Sharing
- Micro E-Mobility ~ "electric micro-mobility is the use of small, lightweight vehicles, typically two-wheeled or single-wheeled, powered by an electric motor with a rechargeable battery and a range suitable for getting around town. From pedal assist bicycles to electric scooters, from hoverboards to monowheels and Segways, these "new entries" in urban mobility will likely play an important role in the sustainable mobility of the future."
3. Behaviour Change
- Transportation Demand Management, Education and Engagement/Outreach
"TDM focuses on understanding how people make their transportation decisions and influencing people’s behavior to use existing infrastructure in more efficient ways, like reducing single occupancy vehicle trips and getting people to use transit, ridesharing, walking, biking, and telework." - Mobility Lab
- BC Transit examples:
* EcoPASS for New Developments: "The BC Transit EcoPASS for New Developments is a transit pass program offering developers the option to purchase annual passes for the occupants of a new residential, commercial, or mixed-use development ... a potential transit-oriented solution for parking variance requests."
* ProPass for employers: "A convenient annual program available to employees through employer facilitated payroll deductions. The ProPass program saves almost 15% off the cost of a monthly bus pass, over a 12-month period this is an annual savings of $144.50."
* U-PASS: "Gives students at the University of Victoria, Camosun College, and Royal Roads unlimited access to travel on all Victoria Regional transit services during their enrolled term. Fee included in a student’s tuition payment."
- Supportive Development Management Policies
(see CAA Ridesharing and Carpooling Report, 2020)
- Expanded resources for ...
i) Ready Step Roll (Sustainable School Commute Planning)
ii) Sustainable Commute Planning (Workplace; City of Vancouver example)
4. Transit and Mobility Hubs
- Long-Range, Regional Transit Planning
- Focus on "Higher-Order Transit," defined as "transit that operates in whole or in part in a dedicated right of way, including light rail and buses."
- Mobility Hubs at Major Transit Exchanges
* BC Transit: Victoria Region Rapid Transit - What's Happened So Far
* Identifying Best Practices for Mobility Hubs (UBC, 2019) - i.e., suitable parking, sheltered bike space and
5. Multi-modal Network and Connectivity
- Regional Multi-modal Network (RMN)
- as defined by the Regional Transportation Plan. See map of Mobility Hubs.
- Built Environment Network Consistency
* creating model bylaws and policies for CRD-wide standards for road classifications, complete-street design and wayfinding
- Equity and Accessibility
- Regional Collaboration and Relationships
6. Data Management and Traffic Analysis
- Multi-modal Data Collection and Analysis
"A new CRD service could deliver an expanded traffic data monitoring program, including implementing a system of sensors to provide real-time continuous vehicle volume counts and travel time for buses, vehicles, and trucks on key corridors in the RMN." + 10 Ways to Count Traffic + Colwood's Traffic Dashboard
- Establish an Open Data Portal
7. Grants and Funding
- Regional Granting Body
"Currently, most grants are applied for separately by each municipality. A regional service is needed to apply for and distribute grants to prioritize projects on the RMN."
- Joint Procurement
"Joint procurement is when two government bodies work together to purchase goods and services to achieve cost savings through economies of scale and reduced redundant procurement procedures. Currently, local governments and electoral areas in the CRD procure transportation-related goods and services individually, with some cases of joint procurement done on a per project basis."
- example, e-fleet group purchases
- Regional Advocacy Approach
8. Transportation Plans
- Regional Transportation Planning
"Under the current structure of transportation governance, the CRD is limited to planning and policy support, working with partners to advance actions in the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan. In recent years, the region's municipalities have completed various transportation (and active transportation) plans and studies within their boundaries. There is also the Transit Future Plan (BC Transit, 2011), RTP (CRD, 2014), and South Island Transportation Strategy (MoTI, 2020). Some aspects of these plans align, and some aspects are out of sync."
- Goods Movement Strategy
- Climate Change Risk Assessment
"With a new CRD transportation service, staff could support other departments in undertaking risk assessments of critical transportation services and infrastructure on the RMN related to the potential impacts of a changing climate.
Potential Timeline
- Service establishment (2024): Pending direction, undertake service approval and enact a service establishment bylaw.
- Implementation and delivery (2025-ongoing): Implement the required internal changes to increase service levels and prove the feasibility of the service, measured against performance indicators.
- Business case for a transportation authority (2025-2026): Pending level of support, begin a business case for a new authority, which could include transit integration.
- Delivery (2026): Advocate for legislative change and implement a new authority, as directed.
From the CRD Board Update of May 8, 2024
Transportation Governance Update
"The purpose of the regional transportation governance initiative is to create more tools to advance regional connectivity and mobility by establishing a new regional transportation service. To support the development of a service establishment bylaw, targeted engagement is needed to seek input from mayors, councillors, electoral area directors, First Nations, senior local government staff and senior staff from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and BC Transit."
From the staff report: "The next phase of engagement is divided into two streams. One stream is ongoing consultation with local government staff, BC Transit and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI). The other stream is a regional workshop in May 2024, bringing together political and staff representatives from local governments, electoral areas and First Nations. The workshop will seek input on potential service categories, including what new programs are possible to add to consolidated CRD functions if the category is included in the establishment bylaw."
Background
From my CRD Overview 2023 blog entry last spring
Transportation
- Regional Transportation Plan (2014)
- Regional Transportation Report Card (2021)
- South Island Transportation Strategy (2020) + Technical Report #2
- Transportation Priority Areas + Implementation Strategies
- Transportation Service Feasibility Study (2014)
- Governmental roles within Greater Victoria (infographic)
- Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan (2011) + Bikenomics in the Capital Region (2015)
Preliminary consideration for a regional transportation authority: See files on pg. 2 of Transportation Committee meeting agenda of May 17, 2023. <clip> "The CRD shares many of the same transportation goals as other metropolitan regions: Ease congestion during peak travel times, reduce emissions, and support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use. Similarly, the CRD is not the only jurisdiction trying to integrate different transportation modes into a single planning framework, ensure the right authorities are in place and find dedicated funding to meet service levels."
Summer 2023: "Broadly engage local governments, BC Transit, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), BC Ferries and the airport authority and analyze level of consensus of possible change."
- BC Transit Annual Report to the CRD (Sept. 2023, see item 3.2)
- Transit Future Plan Network development
- RapidBus implementation - Blink West Shore RapidBus Line launched in April, 2023
- 10 battery electric buses to be in service on Langford-Victoria routes
- committed to transitioning to a fully electric fleet by 2040
- Island Coastal Inter-Community Transportation Study (July 2023)
- "Transportation Act now allows the Province to acquire land for the purpose of building housing and community amenities to serve people near transit stations and bus exchanges."
2022 Origin Destination Household Travel Survey
(released Sept. 2023, see item 4.2 ... Appendix A is the final report based on household survey conducted between Sept. 28 and Dec. 17, 2022. The survey documents respondent travel patterns for an average 24-hour weekday.)
"* Goal 1: Reduce congestion in the morning and afternoon peak periods: People are taking fewer trips, with a 10% reduction in total trips in 2022 despite a 9% increase in population since 2017. This trend can be attributed to changing travel behaviours in the densely populated Core (Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt and View Royal). However, trips within the Westshore (Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin and Sooke), and between the Westshore and the Core and the Saanich Peninsula (Central Saanich, Sidney and North Saanich), are slightly higher in 2022.
Trip volumes are also slightly down. People taking fewer trips throughout the day correspond to reductions in work and school commutes, as well as shopping, restaurant/bar, social activities and other activities that occur outside the commuter peaks. All these reductions are consistent with the lingering effects of pandemic activity shifts.
* Goal 2: Increase the number of people walking, cycling and taking transit: Mode share continues to trend in the right direction, with 29% of trips made by walking, cycling and transit use. This is up from the 2017 mode share of 26.6%. The regional mode share goal is 45%. As with trip volumes, mode share varies depending on where you live in the region.
* Goal 3: Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector: In addition to gains in mode share, the region is also showing gains in the number of EVs-only. The gain in EVs between 2017 and 2022 is significant from 1,900 to 11,900 vehicles. EVs now represent 4% of the region’s private vehicles, with hybrids at 3% and plug-in hybrids at 1%. Note that the numbers in the OD survey reflect the responses of surveyed households and may not correspond to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s vehicle population breakdown."
- Surveys are conducted every five years:
Household Travel Destination Survey (2017)
Household Travel Destination Survey (2002)
Sooke findings ...
297 surveys in Sooke … 4.6% sample of 6,400 households
2022 Sooke 24-hour analysis of local and regional trips
- 17,400 "internalized" trips within District of Sooke
- 10,000 trips elsewhere within the CRD
- 10,000 trips from CRD municipalities to Sooke
- 19,900 two-way total … representing 1.6% of total there-and-back trips in CRD
2017 Sooke 24-hour analysis
- 17,200 internalized trips within DOS
- 9,300 trips elsewhere in CRD
- 9,000 from other CRD municipalities to Sooke
- 18,300 two-way total … representing 1.3% of there-and-back trips in CRD
"Almost half the trips generated by residents of Sooke District and First Nations and Saanich East remain in the same district, at 48% and 46% respectively. Highlands, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area and First Nations and Metchosin and First Nation have the lowest internalization rates, at 3%, 7% and 12% respectively."
Image from the What We Heard report re: municipal support for various service categories
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