CRD Regional Transportation Service (RTS)

Expanding road networks is limited by the built and natural environment, necessitating a shift from single-occupancy vehicle travel.

- https://www.crd.bc.c...-transportation

We're got plenty of space for expanding our existing road network.

Take Wilkinson Road as an example. A key link between Saanich and West Shore, and Highways 17 and 1.

Here's the statement from the CRD on our roads: Expanding road networks is limited by the built and natural environment, necessitating a shift from single-occupancy vehicle travel.

Here's Wilkinson's actual right-of-way, 19.5 meters, roughly (63-64 feet). On the right, the ROW ends at the edge of the sidewalk.

Here's a great reference for road cross-sections: https://library.muni...E_10C-25.08STST

Look at this. You can build such a better road than what is currently there.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 September 2024 - 06:56 AM.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 September 2024 - 06:58 AM.

Although the region has historically had high transit and active transportation usage compared to other Canadian cities, these rates have stagnated.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 September 2024 - 07:27 AM.

When autonomous cars and taxis arrive those rates are going to go down. Nobody is going to walk 2km when a robotaxi can get you there for 35 cents

I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already gone down.

I mean during COVID there was a surge in car buying. Hard to give up a car, after you were sort of forced into one, now realize how superior it is.

Is this a fact? My gut tells me its the opposite, because so many shifted to working from home, many people were terrified of physical shopping (kinda necessary for most cars), and supply chain issues, particularly with automobile computer chips, delayed vehicles by years.

I do know there was a surge in RV buying (and maybe pickup trucks too, because people perhaps needed those for towing or camping).

Edited by lanforod, 13 September 2024 - 07:38 AM.

Ok, so I guess lots just emptied then.

I never understood how the anti-car government activists’ goal of “reducing carbon” is achieved by shifting away from personal automobile infrastructure.

Aren’t we making a provincial switch to EVs? If we do that, doesn’t that solve the carbon issue completely?

They are against any individual owning their own vehicle, the people should be equalized by all having to take a public bus.

To be fair, I am sure they believe CRD board members and executive bureaucrats within the region should be allowed to own private vehicles.

Yes, according to ICBC active policy data. Even in the City of Victoria, auto policies jumped. There was a huge run on used vehicles at the time, as demand outstripped supply of new vehicles.

Whether or not you worked from home, you still had to get around, so households added cars.

From what I recall, yes total auto policies went up due to more people moving here, but cars per household actually went down. And yes, there was a run on used vehicles, but this was because new cars were much, much harder to come by with the chip shortage and other supply chain issues. So buyers were forced to the used market.

Heck, we got rid of one of our cars during this time. Just not using it enough to make insurance and parking costs worth it.

That's not exactly correct. Vehicle ownership per household is on an up-swing since 2001.

The last dive I did was in 2018, referring to the CRD's 2017 regional growth strategy update. The number of vehicles in our region has steadily increased since then. I should run the numbers again, but we'll have to wait for the latest census in 2026, then ICBC data a year after to get the most accurate data. So sit down, we'll be here a while.

The volume of vehicles compared to residents on the south Island rose from 68.9 vehicles for every 100 residents in 2011 to 70.3 in 2017, an increase of 22,500 units (or 9.7%). Over the same period population growth was 7.49%.

 

Now I'm really curious to see how we're doing in 2024. But the COVID-era bump was even attributed by ICBC to COVID travel choices, no?