465 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

You could rather easily look up the average incomes in both communities rather than pull numbers out of thin air.

 

that will not show the entire picture.

[VIResident]

"Again I agree that increase in transit is a good thing"..... for the sake of increasing only?  We all pay for these busses and there are residents (not just a 'few) who scratch their heads and ask why more busses when the usage is so low in certain areas' and why none in areas where use would be high and very desirable.   Make it available and they will come?

[Mike K.]

that will not show the entire picture.

 

How do BC Transit buses currently running from Shawnigan into Victoria fit into your picture? Seems odd for a place that doesn't want/need them because everyone's so wealthy.

[vortoozo]

"Again I agree that increase in transit is a good thing"..... for the sake of increasing only?  We all pay for these busses and there are residents (not just a 'few) who scratch their heads and ask why more busses when the usage is so low in certain areas' and why none in areas where use would be high and very desirable.   Make it available and they will come?

 

For the sake of pulling cars off the road, for the sake of servicing residents that must rely on the bus, for environmental reasons, etc.

Even if you don't take the bus, you still benefit from increased bus service. Reduced traffic, cleaner air, etc.

[vortoozo]

I don't think we've actually asked, that's the issue. Meanwhile how many more times will communities on the Island raise the alarm over not having reliable inter-city transportation? It's a weekly complaint now, and those services are always facing a risk of cancellation.

 

 

Sure they have. There's a 25 year Cowichan transit plan, released in 2012 after significant public consultation (including over 1300 people). It outlines several transit priorities for the region, including the addition of service to Nanaimo and increased service to Victoria, part of which has already been implemented (eg weekend service). The document outlines transit priorities for the region including local and regional transit connections.  1507213420821 (bctransit.com)

[Mike K.]

So people do want more transit to Victoria.

What are we talking about again?

[Cats4Hire]

1.  Town of Sooke/BC Transit wanted to add another bus route in Sooke within a subdivision and held a Q&A on the pretense of getting 'input' - the standard BS session where officials can tick that box off

2.  Subdivision residents had questions and concerns, all concerns had a 'pat' answer from Town and BC Transit

3.  Regardless of concerns bus route initiated (the outcome of every box-ticketing BS session we've become accustomed to in Victoria)

4.  All busses in outlying areas (some in Victoria too) are second-hand carbon belching junk heaps from Vancouver 

something to remember here is selection bias. These Transit Future things are all a combination of the meetings you mention and an online survey. The survey is obviously far less effort for the average person so in general the only people who would go to the meetings are 1. older community who either doesn't use the internet or just prefers not to and 2. people with stronger opinions on the matter. 

 

I would say most people probably do want better service in Sooke. Unless you happen to live on the 61's (or 65 which only runs peak hours and within Sooke is the exact same anyway) route you have the 63 which has 4 trips total, first one at 8:18 and last at 4:25 so that won't make any connections out of Sooke if you work standard 9-5 and 64 which has more trips and will let East Sooke residents meet the 61 (not any other part of the route though) but runs every 2 hours during the day. Your friend may not have liked the options given but I suspect they were overall well received on the basis it's better than what currently exists.

 

edit: also neither 63 or 64 run at all on weekends so if you live in East Sooke and you're 17 without your own car Google Maps says just wait for Monday.

Edited by Cats4Hire, 17 February 2021 - 11:30 AM.

[Mike K.]

Sooke is BC’s biggest community without regular internal transit services. Like you can’t hop a bus and go down to the pub sort of a thing, because the 61 serves a very small portion of the town and if you’re having to walk 30 mins to catch it, what’s the point when the destination is 10 minutes away by that point.

[vortoozo]

So people do want more transit to Victoria.

What are we talking about again?

 

Does transit service to Comox from Cowichan at all show up in the document? I don't think it's anyone's priority. Other than yours, apparently. 

[Mike K.]

I never said that. I just said asked why it isn't possible to connect these systems, rather than stop them short of each other, when the communities themselves are raising the issue of unreliable or non-existent inter-city connections. But clearly there's demand for this as soon Nanaimo will be linked with Cowichan, and it sounds like Cowichan residents want to be connected to Victoria in a meaningful way.

 

Why can't we have such a system where you can go from Victoria to north of Campbell River? We can take public transport from Victoria to Hope, but we can't take public transport from Victoria to Shawnigan Lake, or from Victoria to Nanaimo, or from Courtenay to Nanaimo, etc. It seems backwards when the routes are so close to each other.

[Victoria Watcher]

Sooke is BC’s biggest community without regular internal transit services. Like you can’t hop a bus and go down to the pub sort of a thing, because the 61 serves a very small portion of the town and if you’re having to walk 30 mins to catch it, what’s the point when the destination is 10 minutes away by that point.

 

not so sure.

 

what percentage of sooke residents live within X km of the 61 route line?  you would have to live pretty far away to be 30 minutes walk from the line.

 

 

^  should the note read "select" trips rather than "selected"?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 February 2021 - 01:16 PM.

[Mike K.]

That's from BC Transit itself, the comment about being the most under-served community of its size in the province. Currently the 61 runs backwards through the town, and once you catch it, you will have to exit the bus once it arrives at its terminus in town, then stand around for the layover. It's super hick-town.

 

Let's use a real-world example. We just missed the 1:02PM 61 at Grant Road and West Coast Road. The next one is 1:58. So once we catch that 1:58, it will arrive at the town centre at 2:06. You now exit the bus. At 2:36, your bus will depart. You'll have stood outside for about 28 minutes. Your bus will arrive at Langford Exchange at 3:10. That's pretty bad.

[Victoria Watcher]

don't we have uber?

[Matt R.]

don't we have uber?

Sooke barely has cell service.

Matt.

[marks_28]

Surprised, but also not surprised, that increased transit service is getting so much push back here. Two points I will add - yes, it makes no sense that Shawnigan/Cowichan dont' have better bus service to Victoria. They don't need bus service because they all have cars? Or, they have cars because there is no bus service? Do you measure the demand for a bridge by counting the amount of people swimming across the river? Put in proper service, and it will get used. Especially in a growing community with more and more people commuting to Victoria. And Sooke could definitely use better service. One route cannot sufficiently service that growing community. How many routes currently service Gordon Head? At least three? Maybe four? Is it 3 or 4x larger and more populous than Sooke? (Maybe it is, I am just guessing here) I thought wealthy neighbourhoods don't need busses?

 

I'd happily pay more taxes for better transit, because it is good for all of us. It will help reduce traffic/congestion, it will help us reach our climate goals, and it will help those unable to drive to get places.

[Mike K.]

And consider that everyone in Sooke is already paying transit taxes, and arguably the region’s highest transit gas taxes just by virtue of distance to amenities in Langford.

20,000 people live west of Metchosin. I don’t think many of us realize that. That’s a bigger population than View Royal, Oak Bay, Colwood, Metchosin, Highlands, Sidney, North Saanich and Central Saanich.

[Mike K.]

Actually, weirdly and technically, you can use public transport to get to Cowichan via ferry from Central Saanich. How completely bonkers is that, when we’re arguing about buses connecting Langford and Cowichan?

[Matt R.]

Actually, weirdly and technically, you can use public transport to get to Cowichan via ferry from Central Saanich. How completely bonkers is that, when we’re arguing about buses connecting Langford and Cowichan?

Sure, you can take a bus to Swartz then to crofton and then onwards, or go to Nanaimo via horseshoe bay, lol.

Matt.

[Mike K.]

Yup, that too.

[Victoria Watcher]

The head of Wilson’s Transportation Group says the company will put on hold plans to cancel some of its Island bus services after a productive meeting with the Ministry of Transportation on Friday.

 

John Wilson said the prospect of a pandemic relief package from the province is enough to keep him from permanently cancelling the company’s Tofino Bus and Island Connector services in the North Island region.

 

https://www.timescol...lief-1.24284584

 

Wilson said his company has been shut out of many of the federal and provincial relief programs because of its size and structure, and would no longer be able to cover the cost to operate the routes without help from the province.

 

 

Wilson’s has already floated a proposal for a one-year emergency COVID-recovery contract from the Ministry of Transportation to cover operating costs for Tofino Bus and allow it to resume the service.

 

Wilson said the government understands the challenges the company faces. “They get it, but, as has been said by many people many times, the wheels of government turn slow,” he said. “But it’s still not as slow as my wheels are turning right now.”

 

The company, which has been loath to take on more debt during the pandemic when it has no income, has suggested the North Island service may be only the first of its divisions to shut down without government help.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 February 2021 - 05:40 AM.