In early October, the provincial Ministry of Transportation launched a survey in order to collect input from British Columbians about their priorities in the development of transportation infrastructure in the coming decade. The creation of such a plan, according to the consultation document on the project (called BC On the Move) is to focus on the movement of people and goods within the province, growing the economy, and also connecting and strengthening communities. Under what the Bowen Island Municipal Transportation Advisory Committee (BIMTAC) chair Adam Holbrook calls a rather tight timeline, council has decided to send a letter of response based on a committee report on the subject.
The BIMTAC report states three main observations about the consultation document on the 10-year transportation plan. Firstly, the 10-year transportatin plan talks about growth in the province, but does not state where that growth will occur. Secondly, the plan fails to address the issue of integration between modes of transportation; and thirdly, the plan makes no mention of passenger ferries that might make coastal communities more accessible.
According to the BC on the Move consultation document, investment in transportation infrastructure is key to maintaining the province’s economy and quality of life. Transportation, according to the document, generates employment and underpins job creation. Holbrook says this discussion about growth is meaningless in the context of a plan, unless where they state where the growth is going to occur.
“If the growth is going to occur in Vancouver, then I suppose we can expect investments in light rail and public transit. If that growth will occur in the interior, then I suppose the investments will go into highways,” says Holbrook. “Can we suppose that, because there is nothing said about ferries they are predicting zero or negative growth in coastal communities? We need to know what their operating assumptions are.”
The consultation document contains numerous proposals about improving specific modes of transportation, but the response by BIMTAC criticizes its failure to discuss the creation of a “seamless” transportation system:
The connection between YVR and downtown Vancouver is now seamless, thanks to the Canada line. But the BC public transit system in general, is not seamless.
Holbrook says there is no reason why the connections between the ferry and the 257 express bus to downtown Vancouver can’t be as good as the connection between YVR and downtown Vancouver.
“These are both provincially regulated and controlled pieces of infrastructure,” says Holbrook. “Why can’t TransLink and BC Ferries work together? Because they’ve never been asked to.”
The simple integration of ferry and bus services, according to the BIMTAC report, could provide massive financial and environmental benefits at little cost. The report goes on to state that:
We expect the 10- year plan to provide concrete proposals as to how the major players - BC Transit, BC Ferries and Translink - will be required to present joint action plans to make this happen.
Joint planning of this nature would permit achievement of other stated priorities of the Minister such as the implementation of passenger - only ferry services, and alternative ferry service providers.
Holbrook says that the strategic replacement of current ferry sailings with water taxi services could help make major savings on labour costs. The second aspect of the conversation about creating a water taxi service, he says, is questioning the fact that BC Ferries is the sole provider of transportations services to the island.
“Why couldn’t TransLink operate a Seabus between Bowen and downtown Vancouver? It is possible, but again, BC Ferries and Trans Link would have to talk to each other first. So those, in a way, are our big asks: for integration, and for alternatives.”
The BIMTAC report also states the need for better cycling and walking infrastructure, investment in wharves and harbours, and small airports (in Bowen’s case, a heliport). The report will be re-worked into the format of a letter to be sent by December 12 to the BC On the Move consulting office in Vancouver.
The Islands Trust has also responded to the 10-year transportation plan and asked that ferry fares be brought in line with cost of living increases since 2003, and that the province fund BC ferries to the extent that ferry fares and services meet the needs of ferry dependent communities. Holbrook says that while he supports these aims, making such a request to the current provincial government is an invitation to be ignored.
“We tried to craft our request in a way that is specific to Bowen’s needs,” says Holbrook. “To work in the realm of the probable, instead of the desireable.”
