CRD moves forward to establish a new “Transportation” select committee. Their mandate will be to review provincial review of Transit, look at governance models for transit at CRD and review the local funding report for our regional share of the proposed LRT line.

I’m pleased to be on this committee as I was on the BC Transit Board when we established TransLink and I want to make sure CRD doesn’t have any downloading or “less” revenue from the Provincial Government around this process.

As a section of the Regional Planning and Sustainability division, transportation planning manages regional transportation information and provides expertise to member municipalities, provincial agencies and other partners to promote a balanced, sustainable and economically viable transportation system.

Current Initiatives

2011 Origin-Destination Household Travel Survey

Whether you walk, cycle, bus, or drive, your participation in this survey helps us identify the transportation routes and services that communities really need. Professional telephone interviewers will call 6,000 randomly selected households October 5 – December 7, 2011. Please answer the call – and be eligible for great prizes!

Rapid Transit Local funding Task Force

The CRD and BC Transit have created a joint task force to investigate funding options for the local share of building costs for the proposed light rail transit (LRT). The task force will seek input from the municipalities, stakeholders and the public through public hearings, focus groups, a dedicated email address and website. Check CRD website for more information.

Pedestrian & Cycling Master Plan

The CRD, the municipalities and key stakeholder agencies are creating a Regional Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan (PCMP) to help direct planning and investment decisions which support the greater use of walking and cycling in everyday life.

Alta Planning & Design, together with Urban Systems and John Luton, have been contracted to develop the master plan, which is slated for a draft completion in December, 2010.

Cycling Skills for Youth

In our bid to “make cycling irresistible” and SAFE we have partnered with School District 61 and Victoria Bike To Work Society to develop and deliver a pilot-program this Fall at Arbutus School. The program, currently targeted at grade 7 students, combines theory and real on-the-road experience.

Transportation data now available on Google Earth

CRD Regional Planning has released data from its transportation model, using Google Earth to show the 100 busiest bus stops; bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle counts from various points around the region; and congestion levels on major routes for the afternoon peak period.

 

Regional TDM Strategy

The Transportation Demand Management Strategy is a TravelChoices implementation initiative designed to encourage more sustainable travel options and behaviours.

 

CRD Transportation Corridor Plan

The Transportation Corridor Plan was started in 2010 to create a framework for more effective regional transportation planning and investment decisions. The main objective is to increase cooperation and coordination between jurisdictions on regional transportation to support the region’s sustainability goals.

Phase One: completed September 2010

• preliminary identification of principle regional transportation corridors
• definitions of corridor standards and priorities
• evaluations of different models for corridor management

Phase Two: begins 2011

• extensive engagement process with the province, member municipalities and other stakeholders to review, revise if necessary and reach consensus on the Phase One recommendations.