Victoria – Construction is set to begin for the southbound Douglas Street bus priority lanes, which will reach from Tolmie Avenue to Hillside Avenue. Once complete, the bus lanes will run northbound and southbound from Fisgard Avenue to Tolmie Avenue.
“People who live and work in the Capital Regional District are understandably frustrated with mounting traffic congestion along the busy Douglas Street corridor,” said Minister of and Infrastructure, Claire Trevena. “Our government is making it easier for commuters to get to work and back home from downtown Victoria to the West Shore.
With Douglas Street seeing 1,700 vehicles per hour at peak times, these bus and bicycle lanes should encourage more people to leave their cars at home and choose a greener, more convenient option.”
The priority lanes, an infrastructure project designed in partnership with the City of Victoria, are designed to shorten travel times for passengers, increase the reliability of public transit, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Encouraging more transit use will also lower the number of vehicles on the road helping to reduce congestion. The Douglas Street corridor currently supports as many as 1,700 vehicles per hour during peak travel times.
“It is exciting to see the continuation of the bus priority lane project implementation along the Douglas Street corridor,” said Victoria Regional Transit Commission Chair Susan Brice. “Douglas Street is a vital corridor for transit services, and improving service with these bus priority lanes will help us better serve our customers.”
The project is funded by the Province of BC and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission. Construction is expected to conclude in the fall. As the roadway is under the jurisdiction of the City of Victoria, the city is managing the construction contract process. Construction will include concrete and asphalt paving, sidewalk and boulevard restoration and improvements, tree and vegetation replacement, new line painting, and new signal infrastructure.
“This is the first step towards a rapid transit system that connects the downtown to the entire region,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. “A transformational bus rapid transit system will give residents and visitors an option for fast, direct transportation in and out of the downtown, so they can spend less time and money stuck in traffic and more of their day doing what they love.”
The bus priority lanes are meant for buses, including those run by BC Transit and private tour companies, and cyclists. Motorists are allowed to enter the bus and bicycle priority lanes only if making a right hand turn by then end of the block.
Bus priority lanes operate weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. southbound and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. northbound. Once the construction of the new lanes is complete, the bus priority lanes will be in effect 24 hours a day in both directions. The fine for being in a priority bus lane is $109.
“The bus priority lanes along Douglas Street and Highway 1 are critical to supporting effective and efficient transit services in the Victoria region,” said Manuel Achadinha, BC Transit President and Chief Executive Officer. “BC Transit continues to work hard to promote sustainable transportation options in Greater Victoria to better connect people and communities.”
The first phase of the bus priority lanes was implemented in Victoria in 2014. The bus priority lanes will be expanded northbound on Douglas Street from Tolmie Avenue to Mackenzie Avenue with funding from Government of Canada and Province of BC. A study is also underway for bus priority lanes and transit infrastructure along the Island Highway with the Town of View Royal and City of Colwood.
For more information on bus priority lane rules, please visit the City of Victoria’s Douglas Street Priority Transit and Cycling Lane web page.
For information on the current expansion of the bus priority lanes, please visit the
BC Transit Victoria Rapid Transit web page.
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