Published Articles
What About the Displaced Traffic? (in Business Examiner)
November 27, 2009
The Chamber supports a sustainable integrated transportation system for our region. The transit system currently under consideration will likely displace car traffic and this traffic needs to be accommodated as a part of creating the integrated system.
While the Chamber is pleased with the consultative process that BC Regional Transit has taken in determining the route and mode for Victoria’s Regional Rapid Transit, we think the question regarding the accommodation of displaced traffic is still unanswered.
At this point in the process, the path has been chosen for rapid transit between the West Shore and Victoria. The preferred corridor runs from Station Avenue Exchange in Langford to downtown Victoria and follows, in part, the E&N Rail right of way, Goldstream Avenue and the Island Highway. From the new Uptown Shopping Centre to downtown there are two options -- along Douglas Street or via both Douglas and Government streets.
The mode of transportation has not yet been determined and options are being considered that include a rapid bus line or streetcar or light rail.
Regardless of the chosen mode, the issue of how the existing vehicle traffic will be accommodated remains. The long term likelihood of travel patterns is that commuters will chose the public rapid transit system, and to be clear, the Chamber supports the goal of increased use of public transit.
However, change is evolutionary and with approximately 28 to 30 thousand vehicle trips per day between the West Shore and downtown, we need to accommodate that transition. Those commuters will not immediately change their ways with the introduction of rapid transit, and indeed a number of them never will as public transit may not lend well to the daily demands of their work and personal lives.
Our final Rapid Transit Plan must be comprehensive in nature. At this point, we do not believe that there has been ample consideration given to displaced vehicles, and that needs to become part of the solution. It may well be possible to accommodate the traffic on other roadways but traffic patterns will have to be changed to ensure an orderly flow. The accessibility of the core to all modes of transportation is key to the economic prosperity of the region.
The good news is this is still a work in progress. We are hopeful that the answer to the question of displaced vehicles will be addressed and become part of the overall comprehensive transit plan that our community has been waiting for.
Articles - 2010
Borrowing for the Bridge Our Best Option (in September Business Examiner) (August 30, 2010)
ADS is Positive for BC Tourism (in Business Vancouver Island) (August 11, 2010)
Regional Issues Require Regional Decision Making (in Business Examiner) (July 28, 2010)
Task Force Only a First Step (in Business Vancouver Island) (July 07, 2010)
Paying for the Bridge (in Business Examiner) (June 30, 2010)
Shoulder to Shoulder with Tourism (in Business Vancouver Island) (June 17, 2010)
What is the Cost of Not Building the Marina? (in Business Examiner) (June 01, 2010)
Business Vote is Complicated (in Business Vancouver Island) (May 17, 2010)
Keep an Eye on Tax Spending (in Business Vancouver Island) (April 08, 2010)
Calling for Police Amalgamation (in Business Examiner) (March 24, 2010)
Health, Police Connected (in Business Vancouver Island) (March 11, 2010)
Tourism Benefits of the Games Needing Our Support (in Business Examiner) (March 01, 2010)
Listen to the Tax Canary (in Business Vancovuer Island) (February 15, 2010)
Education and Sewage (in Times Colonist and Blackpress, Letters) (January 29, 2010)
Bay Street Bridge Closure a Wake Up Call (in Business Examiner) (January 27, 2010)
Improving Province's Productivity (in Business Vancouver Island) (January 15, 2010)
Stable Funding for Tourism an Urgent Need (in Business Examiner) (January 04, 2010)
Articles - 2009 
Municipalities Need to Tighten their Belts (December 10, 2009)
What About the Displaced Traffic? (in Business Examiner) (November 27, 2009)
The Local TV/Cable Battle (in Business Vancouver Island) (November 12, 2009)
Budgetary Mitigation Efforts for HST (in Business Examiner) (October 26, 2009)
Why we are Canada's Best Place to Live (in Outlook 2010 in the Times Colonist) (October 17, 2009)
Carving a Place on the Canadian Stage (in Business Vancouver Island) (October 07, 2009)
Budget Deficits and Health of the Community (in Business Examiner) (September 30, 2009)
Keeping the Lens on Crime and Public Safety (in Business Vancouver Island) (September 18, 2009)
HST from Three Perspectives (in Business Examiner) (August 28, 2009)
The Ups and Downs of Tourism (in Business Vancouver Island) (August 10, 2009)
Bar Watch Program Shows Results (August 06, 2009)
Experience Vancouver Island (in Business Vancouver Island) (July 08, 2009)
Dealing with Downtown Drunkeness (in Business Examiner) (July 06, 2009)
TV Playing Field Must be Even too (in Business Vancouver Island) (June 15, 2009)
Get Prolific Offenders Off the Street (in Business Examiner) (June 04, 2009)
Mico-firms in Need of Capital Too (in Business Vancouver Island) (May 11, 2009)
Small Business Realities on Raising Minimum Wage (in Business Examiner) (May 04, 2009)
Letter to the Editor - Johnson St. Bridge (April 22, 2009)
Changes Needed for Film Biz (in Business Vancouver Island) (April 08, 2009)
Keeping Tax Increases Sustainable (in Business Examiner) (April 06, 2009)
Keeping Cities Affordable (in Business Vancouver Island) (March 13, 2009)
Preserving Heritage at What Cost? (in Business Examiner) (March 02, 2009)
Deficit Budgets - Good? (in Business Vancouver Island) (February 11, 2009)
Getting Organized for Budget Investments (in Business Examiner) (January 19, 2009)
The 2009 Budget Slalom (in Business Vancouver Island) (January 11, 2009)
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