Media Release: Victoria By-Election Candidates Challenged On Pedestrian Government St, Bus Lanes and Bike Lanes

Victoria – Victorians for Transportation Choice (VTC), a collection of groups who work for better transportation solutions for all, is today launching a candidate questionnaire for the December 12th City of Victoria by-election. The VTC hopes to inform the voting public about candidates’ ideas and platforms on a range of sustainable transportation questions, including their positions on keeping Government Street a pedestrian priority zone and accelerating work on Victoria’s all ages and abilities bike network.

“Victorians for Transportation Choice represents people in Victoria who want their transportation options to be safe and convenient, while rapidly reducing the carbon pollution that drives the climate crisis,” said Tom Hackney, VTC spokesperson and Victoria Chapter Co-Chair of the BC Sustainable Energy Association. “Many people in Victoria want to be part of a positive revolution in transportation, including keeping Government Street as a pedestrian priority zone.”

“We want to know if candidates are ready to reallocate more road space to bus lanes, to make public transit faster and more reliable” said Eric Doherty of the Better Transit Alliance of Greater Victoria. “We are in a climate emergency and Victoria should be leading by example, as well as advocating for a shift in federal and provincial spending away from highway expansion to transit, walking and cycling.”

The VTC’s member groups – Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition; Greater Victoria Placemaking Network; BC Sustainable Energy Association; Walk On, Victoria; Island Transformations Organization and Better Transit Alliance of Greater Victoria – want our community to shift to more transit, walking and biking, as a means to meet transportation needs while improving livability,  while reducing carbon pollution and other harm. 

As the Victoria Transit Future Plan says, “Major investments in expanding the road network to accommodate the private automobile do not align with local, regional and provincial planning aspirations.” The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate change commits provincial and federal governments to shift spending from higher to lower emitting types of transportation.

The full questionnaire is available at http://www.transportchoicevictoria.ca and candidates’ answers will be available for the general voting public. All candidates are invited to fill out the survey. VTC will not be endorsing any candidates. 

Media Contacts:

Tom Hackney, Victoria Chapter Co-Chair, BC Sustainable Energy Association, tom.hackney [at] bcsea.org

Eric Doherty, Spokesperson, Better Transit Alliance of Greater Victoria, eric [at] ecoplanning.ca

Eric Diller, President, Island Transformations Organization, eric4941 [at] yahoo.com