Late-night transit’s second go will be better organized: Mayor
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin, a member of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC), couldn’t be happier over this weeks decision by the commission to give the go-ahead for late-night BC Transit service on a permanent basis. And he’s quick to point that the service is not just for UVic and Camosun College students — it’s also meant to support the staff that work at late-night gathering spots.
While he acknowledges that post-secondary education student groups lobbied hard for the continuation of the service, after a three-month trial started in January, he says ridership numbers showed that it was more than just students using the service.
Starting this fall, BC Transit buses will operate past 1AM along three routes on Friday and Saturday nights. Photo © by VibrantVictoria.ca.
“Thirty percent of the users were college and university pass-holding students, but a further 30% were individuals that had standard monthly bus passes, and there were plenty of regular fare paying customers,” he said.
Fortin is also of the belief that a “component of every great city is a vibrant late-night atmosphere,” adding that it is the role of government to provide affordable transit solutions, particularly in a city that is generally regarded as expensive, for the folks partaking in late night activities and those employed in the restaurants, hotels and clubs that work the long hours serving them.
Fortin admits that the trial service was “poorly run.” The pilot started with little notice and ended abruptly while still picking up steam. The launch date was also too late for inclusion in BC Transit’s printed schedules released each September, and that, he says, prevented more casual users or those not exposed to the student advertising campaign from knowing about late-night transit services.
With this knowledge in hand, Fortin is convinced the second go planned for the fall of this year will be better better received thanks in part to a more involved marketing process.
The cost for late-night services is pegged at over $500,000 per year. It may be high, Fortin says, but worthwhile.
He also notes that collective-bargaining issues and contracts required the Victoria Regional Transit System to hire several more full-time drivers and other staff just for the increased hours of the Friday and Saturday night service. Luckily the additional drivers can use some left over time from their 37-hour work-week to add in runs along routes that throughout the day experience “pass-ups” more often than the VRTC would like to see. In effect, the cost of adding the late-night service adds some benefit to daytime services as well.
The VRTC this week gave approval to late-night service starting in September and running through to the end of the university/college regular school term. Routes 4, 6 and 14 will see the increased service hours.
Sooke Mayor Janet Evans was the only VRTC member to vote against the proposal.
For the latest on the Victoria Regional Transit System and BC Transit issues affecting the capital region, refer to VibrantVictoria.ca’s dedicated transit discussion forum thread here.
Copyright © 2010 by VibrantVictoria.ca. All rights reserved.
Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's BC Transit (Victoria Regional Transit System) news and issues thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
Mr_E_Squirrel
Jan 30, 2012 at 11:31 pmAny idea how much these new lit up bus stops are costing? They just showed up one day in my neck of the woods. That lit up round sign on the top looks like a Target!
G-Man
Jan 31, 2012 at 6:46 amYeah I was wondering about the one I saw outside the McD's on Pandora. First of all Glass? Really? Here? and second it has Pandora Green written all over it. Now there is a plaque at Cook and Pandora which calls this triangular strip Harris Green and so is the neighbourhood. Where did the name Pandora Green come from?
JohnN
Feb 01, 2012 at 6:19 am
Times Colonist
February 01, 2012
The Capital Regional District wants more public feedback on possible funding options for Greater Victoria's proposed light transit system.
A joint task force of the CRD and B.C. Transit is preparing a report on local funding options before presenting a business plan to the federal government later this year.
Light rail transit systems usually require one-third local funding and another one-third each coming from the provincial and federal governments. Victoria's LRT is estimated to cost $950 million.
Last month, the task force posted online surveys for residents to submit ideas. So far, 80 residents have participated and about 60 have signed up for public forums scheduled for Feb. 14 to 16.
"We're seeing some new ideas and themes emerge from the 80 responses we've received so far," said Bob Lapham, chairman of the local funding task force. Lapham is also general manager for CRD planning and protective services.
READ MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=36191852-f05b-485d-9e51-293d16d98902
JohnN
Feb 01, 2012 at 7:05 am
It has taken many years and studies, but railway edging closer to rebirth
Graham Bruce
Times Colonist
February 01, 2012
When native and municipal leaders came together to protect and acquire the E&N Railway corridor, they understood the complexity of the task at hand.
In forming the Island Corridor Foundation, they created a structure that could accept the land transfer from the Canadian Pacific Railway and work to achieve eight objectives - one of which is to encourage modern-day passenger and freight rail services on Vancouver Island.
To do that, the foundation realized the need for a capable short-line rail operator, so it engaged Southern Railway of British Columbia, one of the best short-line operators in North America.
A subsidiary of SRY, Southern Rail of Vancouver Island, has worked with the foundation to develop an overall long-term infrastructure plan that forecast a $100-million cost for upgrades to the line.
Discussions with the provincial and federal governments led to the Ministry of Transportation commissioning a study to review the proposed upgrades and the potential for passenger and freight growth.
The report concluded there was potential - but that the foundation should take an incremental approach to infrastructure investment while improving rail service and building demand.
READ MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=7d1e274c-1aac-47c2-8baf-20167e3d8acb
Sparky
Feb 02, 2012 at 10:23 am^ One needs to read these types of articles with caution. This is a letter to the editor written by a person with an agenda. That agenda is to extract over $100 million dollars from our tax purse in order to operate a transportation facility which may or may not be financially viable.
Comments included in the letter such as “Millions of federal dollars have been spent on rail in other parts of Canada” and “Southern Railway....one of the best short-line operators in North America” are just that, comments without demonstrable proof.
Southern Railway, a division of the Washington Group of Montana, has a vested interest in having the costs of the improvements to the infrastructure of this rail line paid for out of the public purse.
Disturbingly, the Island Corridor Foundation is currently holding all meetings in camera, and the public does not have access to these meetings. One of the founders of the ICF has formed an action group to monitor the ICF and lobby for the right to attend meetings.
This article should not necessarily be accepted as “news”.
