36 replies to this topic

[UDeMan]

Also the cost of ICBC no fault insurance has brought the cost to insure cars down. I was paying over $1200 before, now down to around $800 a year.

If insurance was high they may sell that extra car.

[FogPub]

One factor in the covid-era car buying increase may have been that people didn't want to take transit and risk getting sick.

[Nparker]

One factor in the covid-era car buying increase may have been that people didn't want to take transit and risk getting sick.

I have felt that way before and after the pandemic.

[Mike K.]

Hmm sounds like you're guessing or assuming that per household vehicles increased in 2020-2022 without actual data.

There was a big lurch in insured vehicles when COVID hit, then a drop once more people were comfortable with alternatives.

[Citified.ca]

Quite timely is ICBC's new release of active policies in effect, through 2023. We can now compare 2019 to 2023.
 
Six municipalities either kept their vehicle policies lock-stop with population growth within 0.2%, or saw more vehicle policies come into effect than population increase (percentage-wise).
 
Car ownership on Vancouver Island continues to outpace population growth, and Greater Victoria still loves its cars: ICBC
https://victoria.cit...cars-continues/

[Victoria Watcher]

lol.

[Victoria Watcher]

Best thing ever.

 

YES, private cars are awesome.  

[Mike K.]

BC Ferries is planning its new vessels to carry more cars than the vessels they’ll be replacing.

This is why the RTS has to be challenged. It is being pushed through with very little dialogue and very little engagement with the public. They may well be only wanting to promote transit investment as one lobbying unit, but that’s what is planned today, not 10 years from now. The key messaging is the RTS is fundamentally about alternatives and is in response to a stagnant growth in transportation alternatives.

As I have shown in this thread, we have ample room on our existing roadways for road expansion. It is incorrect to say our roads are maximized, when in fact they are under-built relative to their right of ways.

[Mike K.]

Outgoing CRD Board chair Colin Plant was on CFAX yesterday, and did not spend a lot of time discussing the RTS, and very quickly moved on to other topics. It sounded to me like the CRD isn’t yet so sure about the AAP being used in lieu of a referendum.

The Saanich McKenzie debacle has drawn the ire of the electorate, and it’s by-design what the CRD want to deploy regionally, if my read of the details presented so far is accurate.

[Victoria Watcher]

The McKenzie Exchange has been a resounding succcess, NOBODY complains about it.

 

That's the kind of thing we need, not road diets.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 November 2024 - 07:04 AM.

[Mike K.]

Actually, it is now recognized as severely underbuilt, without three lanes running all the way to the Colwood exit.

The confluence of McKenzie at the TCH westbound creates a massive bottleneck during afternoon rush.

So what does the government choose to do? Build a bus lane. And what does Saanich want to do? They want to two-lane one of the busiest four-lane roads on Vancouver Island, that feeds into the TCH, and connects Highways 1 and 17.

McKenzie might actually be the busiest non-highway route on the Island?

[Mike K.]

McKenzie, TCH and Admirals merge into two lanes, fed by five, with four of them a constant heavy flow.

Wasn’t modelling done to know this choke would occur? I can’t believe this was missed. I also cannot see bus lanes making any difference, but that’s where we’re spending years of labour and many millions of dollars. The only silver lining is WFH keeps thousands of cars parked during rush hours.

The red line is where a third lane is needed between McKenzie and the Colwood exit lane. Extending the third lane a short ways to connect from the Colwood exit to the existing three lanes at Thetis hill shouldn’t be a massive project, either. But will it ever happen? It would allow the confluence of three routes to flow so much better.

[FogPub]

^If extending the third lane beyond the Colwood exit to Thetis hill means having to widen or rebuild the bridge it becomes a much bigger and costlier project.

 

That said, even a third lane between McKenzie and Helmcken would be a start; as a lot of hospital-bound traffic leaves the highway at Helmcken.

 

Related: has anyone else noticed that when going west on McKenzie through that interchange there is no signage whatsoever along the lines of "For Admirals Rd, go straight"?  Locals might know that McKenzie and Admirals are in effect the same road but visitors and tourists won't.

Edited by FogPub, 17 November 2024 - 02:58 AM.

[Mike K.]

The bridges are technically already wide enough for three lanes, so it could be done easily, but there wouldn’t be room for an emergency shoulder for that 150m span or whatever the length is.

The Burnside bridges being expanded are too tight for three lanes. Plus they have weird sidewalks to nowhere.

[lanforod]

^If extending the third lane beyond the Colwood exit to Thetis hill means having to widen or rebuild the bridge it becomes a much bigger and costlier project.

That said, even a third lane between McKenzie and Helmcken would be a start; as a lot of hospital-bound traffic leaves the highway at Helmcken.

Related: has anyone else noticed that when going west on McKenzie through that interchange there is no signage whatsoever along the lines of "For Admirals Rd, go straight"? Locals might know that McKenzie and Admirals are in effect the same road but visitors and tourists won't.

Pretty sure most use GPS for driving instructions now.

[Ismo07]

Quite timely is ICBC's new release of active policies in effect, through 2023. We can now compare 2019 to 2023.
 
Six municipalities either kept their vehicle policies lock-stop with population growth within 0.2%, or saw more vehicle policies come into effect than population increase (percentage-wise).
 
Car ownership on Vancouver Island continues to outpace population growth, and Greater Victoria still loves its cars: ICBC
https://victoria.cit...cars-continues/

 

 

Does this consider how many people do not get insurance as well?  We haven't heard lately that many are being pulled over, but I'm not sure every police detachment has many cameras checking at this time.

 

Is the data also only for personal vehicles?  Are fleets included in this?

 

Ah I see they are but only broken down for 2023...  That break down might be good to see for 2019 I guess.

Edited by Ismo07, 18 November 2024 - 10:58 AM.

[Mike K.]

Does this consider how many people do not get insurance as well? We haven't heard lately that many are being pulled over, but I'm not sure every police detachment has many cameras checking at this time.

It’s a huge problem, and getting worse.

The data ICBC provides only references policies in effect, so no uninsured vehicles are captured. My guess is there are several thousand uninsured vehicles being driven on our roads in any given year, judging by how many are being caught.