Better Transit Alliance – Page 2 – Advocating for better public transit in Greater Victoria

Letter to CRD Board – Regional Transportation Priorities

May 10, 2021

Dear CRD Chair Colin Plant & CRD Board members

From: BC Sustainable Energy Association Victoria Chapter, Better Mobility Saanich, Better Transit Alliance of Greater Victoria, Capital Bike (formerly Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition & Bike to Work Victoria), Cities for Everyone, Citizens Environmental Network in Colwood, Climate Justice Victoria, Council of Canadians Victoria Chapter, Greenpeace Victoria Local Group, Island Transformations Organization, Oak Bay Climate Force, Saanich Eco Advocates, Urban Thrive, and View Royal Climate Coalition.

Re 8.4 Identification of Regional Transportation Priorities report – May 12 CRD Board meeting

We support the CRD Transportation Committee’s recommendation “That the categorized priority areas listed in Appendix A be confirmed as amended, subject to clarification of the description of the ‘Highway Safety Improvements’ priority to ensure alignment with the Mode Share targets in the report.” This is a step towards creating transportation infrastructure priorities that are ranked according to CRD criteria including GHG pollution, sustainable transportation mode share, and affordability.

Open Letter to CRD Transportation Committee

Re CRD motions on transportation and climate – February 17 Transportation Committee

Dear Capital Regional District Transportation Committee Members,

Thank you for voting on December 9, 2020 to develop a list of transportation priorities informed by the CRD’s declaration of a climate emergency and the CRD’s climate targets.

We now understand that you will be considering two related motions at the February 17 Transportation Committee meeting.

Open Letter to CRD Board on Transportation and Climate Motions

Dear Capital Regional District Board Members,

Re CRD motions on transportation and climate – January 13, 2021 board meeting

Thank you for voting on December 9, 2020 to develop a list of transportation priorities informed by the CRD’s declaration of a climate emergency and the CRD’s climate targets.

We now understand that you will be considering two related motions at the January 13 CRD Board meeting.

We support both motions put forward by CRD Director Ned Taylor and ask that you vote in favor for both:

1) Motion re CRD letter to Ministers Fleming and Ma:

Media Release: Victoria By-Election Candidates Respond to Sustainable Transportation Questions

Victoria – Victorians for Transportation Choice (VTC), six groups working for better transportation solutions for all, has released candidate responses to our sustainable transportation questionnaire. The responses include candidate positions on keeping Government Street a pedestrian priority zone, accelerating work on Victoria’s all ages and abilities bike network, and creating more bus lanes.

“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. “We urge the people of Victoria to review the candidate responses so they can vote for the transportation future they want.”

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.

“You can’t expect people to ride transit if they can’t get to the bus safely.”

Sue Stroud of the Better Transit Alliance of Greater Victoria agreed, saying the number of deaths and injuries rises dramatically with every 10 kilometres per hour over 30. “Forty’s a good start, but 30 would be a lot better,” she said. “I think we’ll just keep trying to persuade them that 30 is a lot safer and people get where they’re going just as fast.”

Pilot project to reduce speed limit on Saanich residential roads to 40 km/h to go ahead

Jeff Bell / Times Colonist October 28, 2020

A pilot project to lower the default speed limit on residential roads in Saanich to 40 km/h could begin next year.

Open Letter – CRD response to South Island Transportation Strategy

Dear Capital Regional District Board Members,

Re CRD response to South Island Transportation Strategy

Thank you! Your 2019 votes against a new ‘alternate route’ Malahat highway and for the CRD Climate Emergency declaration has resulted in the provincial government releasing a South Island Transportation Strategy (SITS) that is a significant step forward.

We would like you to take the next step, and request a re-prioritization of provincial and federal funding to be compatible with the aspirations of SITS, the CRD’s unanimous Climate Emergency declaration, and the Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

BTA in News – Stimulus money should fund green transportation, not highways

Jennifer Saltman Jul 08, 2020

Municipal politicians say federal and provincial stimulus money should be spent on transportation projects that reduce pollution, not highway and airport expansions.

More than 250 local government leaders, who are members of a national network called the Climate Caucus, have penned an open letter calling for economic-recovery cash — and other infrastructure funding — to be used to improve transit service and create opportunities for walking and cycling.

BTA in the News – “Very good thing, to focus on making the transit network faster and more frequent”

Bus every 9 minutes being considered for busy routes
Jeff Bell / Times Colonist
June 30, 2020

A “rapid-bus” system that could send buses along certain routes every nine minutes is being studied by B.C. Transit.
The system would be faster, more frequent and more reliable than what exists now, said Matthew Boyd, B.C. Transit’s director of corporate and strategic planning.