Page 8 January 1989 Cassiar Courier A Transportation Plan for British Colusibia B.C.’°S TRANSPORTATION NETWORK: The transportation network of British Columbia is a complex infrastructure of rail, air, transit, marine and highway systems. The following facts provide an appre- ciation of this magnitude and complexity: - 5 major railways operate in B.C. on approximate- ly 7,500 km of track. - 386 ports and harbours handle 200 million tonnes of freight annually. - 375 airports and water landing areas serve over 11 million air passengers per year. - 36 urban public transit systems serve 125 million passenger trips per year. - 6.5 million vehicles and 17 million passengers per year are carried by B.C. ferries. - 20 billion km are driven over 45,000 km of pro- vincial highways and 2,650 bridges. THE CHALLENGES: The rugged topography of this province has pre- sented special challenges to the development and main- tenance of this infrastructure. Although this system has historically provided a reasonable level of service to the general public and industry, the existing infrastructure is wearing out and increasing traffic demands are outstrip- ping current capacity. Major traffic congestion and delays on the provin- cial highway system are occurring on a more frequent basis throughout the Province. This is especially evident in the Lower Mainland where one third of the existing highway system experiences congestion over six hours every day. If additional facilities are not constructed in the near future, more than three quarters of the system will be fully congested by the year 2000. This trend is also developing in other urban centres such as Prince George, Kelowna, Nanaimo and Victoria. Not only is the highway system being utilized be- yond its capacity in many areas, but much of it is also at, or approaching, the end of its lifespan. Approximately 1500 of the 2650 provincial bridge structures are of wood construction and/or over 40 years old. Of these, 600 should be upgraded or replaced in the next 10 years to handle a new generation of larger trucks carrying heavier loads. This program could cost up to $750 million. Over 15% of the trunk highway system requires substantial re- habilitation just to meet an acceptable standard. These problems are not isolated to just the highway component of the transportation system. Travel demands on the ferry routes have increased by 40% over the last five years. Two to three sailing delays are now a common occurence on holiday weekends. To compound the pro- blem, the fleet is aging thus increasing the downtime re- quirements. Without an immediate improvement these problems will create severe congestion by the year 2000. The ability of B.C. ports to compete in the move- ment of international commodities is being eroded by the slower delivery time caused by capacity constraints where rail and road links connect to harbours. : When railways strive to operate more efficiently in response to taxpayers’ demands, abandonment of under- Province of British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways Hon. Neil Vant, Minister utilized rail lines often poses the threat of isolation for hinterland communities. Considerable capital investment has been made in establishing and operating transit services in urban centres throughout B.C. However, even with this level of commit- ment, the vast majority of commuters use their private automobile. Unless this trend can be altered by the year 2000, operating costs will continue to rise and traffic bur- dens will not lessen. ae Of the nearly 11 million passengers handled at commercial airports in B.C., over three quarters utilized Vancouver International Airport. This has translated into hour-long delays for the travelling public. It is projected that by the year 2000, 16.2 million passengers will be using the commercial airports. Improvements to our pro- vincewide airport infrastructure are critical to the effi- ciency of the air facility network. The year 2000 is only 12 years away. In order to ensure that B.C.’s expanding economy and population continue to enjoy the benefits of an effi- cient and well maintained transportation system, substan- tial improvements are required by the year 2000. The costs to the provincial taxpayers will be high. The follow- ing illustrates the magnitude of these future financial needs: - The provincial highway system will require up to $7 billion in improvements by the twenty first century. - B.C. Transit’s costs for the Vancouver system are projected to be $375 million per year upon com- pletion of the SkyTrain extension to Scott Road in 1990/91. - Demands for improvements at community air- ports exceed $40 million. - B.C. Rail’s mandated services require a $16 mil- lion annual operating subsidy and a capital in- vestment of $35 million over the next 5 years. - B.C. Ferries require an investment of $100 million per year for 5 years to increase the capa- bility of the aging fleet. THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT: ‘ Transportation issues must also be addressed in recognition of and response to changing external and in- ternal conditions. Externally, the growth in importance of the Pacific Rim countries must be monitored with res-_ pect to the competition between air and marine gateways . to these markets. International economic trends such as free trade and the availability and price of petroleum fuels must be scrutinized. Transportation technology and the impact of national and international regulatory influences must also be taken into account. Internally, the growth of major urban centres, the decentralization of industry and the continued impact of transportation deregulation will all require- analysis, un- derstanding and action on behalf of the Province. The impact of change will have to be dealt with as service industries catering to the growing leisure and tour- ism industries make their demands upon the transporta- tion infrastructure. Changes in any one of these factors will require changes in our transportation system. Clearly, difficult decisions will have to be made and they will significantly. impact the economic well being and quality of life for British Columbians. These decisions must be made in a FRAMEWORK and by a PROCESS that will make it possible to achieve multi- model transportation planning on a provincial basis. The resulting transportation investments must promote a balanced, efficient and effective transportation system reflecting the interests of the Province, its regions, its communities, citizens, businesses and other entities. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FRAMEWORK: The basic building block for the development of an overall Provincial Transportation Plan will come from initiatives developed by regional transportation commit- tees of knowledgeable representatives appointed by the Ministers of State and M.L.A.’s from within each regional area. The regional transportation committees will review the 18-volume study prepared by Delcan and consider all modes of transportation represented in their regions. Public opinion will be solicited and projects will be pri- orized by mode. To assist in their deliberations and to provide the broad provincial transportation framework, these committees will have available the professional staff of each provincial transportation agency as well as other ‘pertinent levels of government. The committees will reassess the plans and priorities annually. A Strategic Planning Committee made up of chief executive officers from all provincial transportation agencies will advise the Minister of Transportation and Highways and evaluate the regional plans to determine the technical factors and financial implications and to ensure integration of each regional plan into a long term provin- cial plan. Upon review, the Minister will present to Cabinet an integrated Provincial Transportation Plan to ensure consistency with government goals and funding initiatives. Once adopted by Cabinet, this plan will form the blue- print for an implementation strategy which will see work commence on priority projects in every region of the Pro- vince. OVERVIEW STUDY: In order to establish a baseline of information and issues to assist in commencing the Provincial Transporta- tion Planning process, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways commissioned Delcan Corporation to produce an overview transportation study. By its very nature, the overview report is not definitive in regard to each mode of transportation nor in regard to transportation issues with- in each region of the Province. The study does, however, identify initiatives that can receive immediate attention and raises issues that should be dealt with in the longer _ term planning process. Since the information in the study is assembled on a provincial and regional scale for each transportation mode, it provides a wealth of information to assist all par- ties involved in transportation planning. A number of significant recommendations have been presented with this 18-volume study; however, it will be up to each re- gion to assess these recommendations as part of their de- liberations. | wide-bected jets, British Columbia has DTOS pe DELCAN RECOMMENDATIONS: The following - summary sections focus on the major - issues by mode. AIR MODE a) Vancouver International Airport The Province should insist that the Federal Gov- ernment place urgent priority on solving the runway and air terminal capacity deficiencies. b) Regional/Community/Resource Airport Funding for the Provincial Air Transportation Assistance Program (ATAP) should be increased in recog- nition of the necessary air facility improvements required by small communities and resource developments. This program should be coordinated with Federal Government initiatives. ; MARINE MODE a) Ferries A program to improve terminal capacity, highway approaches and fleet modernization should be established to address immediate problems. We must initiate a comprehensive study to deter- mine the most cost effective approach for increasing the capacity across the Strait of Georgia, to address the longer term problems. Concepts such as a third crossing, fleet expansion and management of demand must be part of this analysis. b) Coastal Transportation Develop a 10-year plan for the provision of im- proved water transportation links to isolated coastal com- munities. This plan should be undertaken in consultation with the Coast Guard and Federal Department of Fisher- ies and Oceans. c) Ports Adopt a provincial port policy which assures that ports can effectively meet the demands of the industrial and resource sectors. Invite submissions from port and harbour authorities during the transportation planning process before developing final policy. Immediate action should be take to identify the optimum site for an intermodel container transfer facil- ity in the Lower Mainland. Key factors of this evaluation will be road and rail access. RAIL MODE Adopt a rail policy which will promote effective access to ports, improve interchange capability between systems and establish a mechanism to resolve the aban- donment versus subsidy issue. To reduce delays and improve safety at road/rail crossing points, initiate a grade separation and signal in- stallation program which includes Federal Government funding participation. —=Planning for the: rom the days of the fur traders to the age of relied on transportation systems to develop and URBAN ROAD/TRANSIT MODE a) General Throughout the Province a number of initiatives have been identified for immediate attention. If there is a solution that is widely supported, that is consistent with a long term perspective and for which the technical work is sufficiently advanced, work will not wait. Recent an- nouncements on the Cassiar Connector and the Island Highway are examples of projects that will proceed while ~ the planning process is underway. b) Lower Mainland We must initiate a comprehensive transportation study. This study will address the inter-relationships be- tween the transit system, major road network, land use patterns, development policies and the effect of capacity constraints. The goals of this study will be two fold. It will establish improvement strategies which optimize the roles of transit and roads in servicing the projected de- mand and assess the impact of land use and development policies on transportation systems. Concurrent with the above study, a capital prog- tam is needed for immediate improvements which are by their nature self evident and independent of the study results, c) Other Urban Centres In the context of each regional transportation plan, a capital program will be proposed for immediate improvements which are, by their nature, self evident. The required engineering work for those projects which are anticipated to be complementary to the regional transportation plans should begin. RURAL HIGHWAY MODE If we increase the Highway Rehabilitation Program by up to 30%, next year we can upgrade existing defec- tive sections to ensure a suitable level of preventative maintenance for all facilities. Designate those provincial highways which provide the most critical international, national, provincial and inter-regional function. This will allow for the develop- ment of an access policy which will protect their mobil- ity function. In the context of each regional transportation plan, establish a capital program for immediate improve- ments which are, by their nature, self evident. Commence the required engineering work for those projects which are anticipated to be complementary to the integrated transportation system. ext Century ———— British Columbia's Development Regions Vancouver Island/Coast . Mainland/Southwest . Thompson/Okanagan . Kootenay Cariboo North Coast . Nechako . Northeast ONAN ON= CONCLUSIONS: We must begin today with a new approach to solve the various transportation problems. A commitment will have to be made, by all the participants in the trans- portation planning process, for a planned future. This will require an understanding of the complexities of the pro- blems, the relative roles played by each component and the development of an optimum strategy to achieve the goal of a comprehensive, efficient and updated trans- portation system by the year 2000. How can you get involved? You can get involved by contacting your Regional Transportation Committee or your MLA. The list of Committees and their addresses will be available in January 1989. Bring them your ideas and concerns. Attend the public meetings or prepare a written ‘brief. Be a part of preparing B.C’s future. Ministers of State offices: Region 1 and Region 6 Honourable Terry Huberts Minister of State for Vancouver Region 3 and Region 4 Honourable Howard Dirks Minister of State for Thompson Island/Coast and North Coast Okanagan and Kootenay and and Minister Responsible for Minister Responsible for Parks Crown Lands 35 Front Street Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5J1 Telephone 755-2200 Fax 755-2222 North Coast Region: P.O. Box 340 Kitwanga, B.C. VOJ 2A0 Telephone 849-5703 Thompson/Okanagan Region: #106, 2900 - 29th Street Vernon, B.C. V1T 5A6 Telephone 549-5593 Fax 549-5417 Kootenay Region: 310 Ward Street Nelson, B.C. V1L5S4 Telephone 354-6113 Fax 354-6102 Region 2 - Honourable Elwood Veitch Minister of Regional Development and Minister of Region 7 and Region 8 State for Mainland/Southwest Honourable Jack Weisgerber #100 - 635 Columbia Street Minister of State for Nechako New Westminster, B.C. V3M1A7 and Northeast and Minister Telephone 660-9884 Responsible for Native Affairs Fax 660-8498 meee Nechako Region r Bag 5000 Region 5 6 Honourable Bruce Strachan Smite ES mS Minister of State for Cariboo pod SES Fax 847-7592 Northeast Region: 1201 - 103rd Avenue Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 4J2 Telephone 784-2215 Fax 784-2211 and Minister Responsible for Environment 540 Borland Street : ; Williams Lake, B.C. V2G 1R8 Telephone 398-4209 Ministry of Transportation and Highways Regional Offices: Vancouver Island South Coast - 3260 Norwell Drive 7818 6th Street Nanaimo, B.C. V9T 1X5 Burnaby, B.C. V3N 4N8 758-3991 : 660-8204 Thompson/Okanagan Northwest 523 Columbia Street 400 - 4546 Park Avenue Kamloops, B.C. Terrace, B.C. V8G 1V4 V2C 219 638-3352 828-4220 Central/Northeast Kootenays 213 - 1011 Fourth Avenue 310 Ward Street Prince George, B.C. V2L 3H9 Nelson, B.C. V1L5S4 565-6478 354-6400 siaare Se ran nen arn a a