“A Convenient Truth” – Urban Transit Works in Victoria
By Peter Elliott

“What are your Transit Needs here in Victoria?” was the topic for discussion by the Current Events Forum meeting on Friday, February 9th 2007, at the New Horizons Senior Centre. The question talked over was based on an upcoming report to be made by the Capital Region Transit Commission.

A phone-in survey begun in the fall of 2006 covered many facets of Greater Victoria’s transit system including: patterns of travel to work, shopping, visits to malls and entertainment, and the time of day. The quantity of service included frequency of buses, the quality of service, and the ability of passengers to access specific destinations. According to Mike Davis at the Transit Commission Offices, this report will be made available to the public on March 28th this year. It will be a data-based model of the behaviour of passengers, using the latest government census material, and will form the basis for future planning by the Transit Commission.

A majority of the seniors taking part in the Current Events Forum used the transit system, though the pattern of use was often linked to the weather (“I don’t want to walk in the rain”), or the fact that they didn’t want to be travelling after dark.

Even though the consensus was that Victoria had a good transit system, specific details were raised to improve user-friendliness. These included: timetables at all bus stops giving the times for that site and stops closer on opposite sides of the road to facilitate connections. The large-format bus map of Victoria got a passing grade and was often preferred as a way of planning a trip over the booklet timetable, which many thought was difficult to follow. Maybe there is a need for a second look and for actually trying out a new format to see if it is clearer and more understandable.

It was suggested that there be more frequent buses between James Bay and Cook Street Village, and also that there be a Saturday service. There was a call to reinstate the #75 route from downtown to Butchart Gardens. The fact that the central “node” for exchanging routes at Fort and Douglas was working well was applauded by many, and it was recognized that the “Day Pass” was a valuable all-zone investment. It was also noted that many vehicles being used were able to adjust the height of the steps to assist those who had difficulties climbing and that the visually-impaired did have access to help through the organization, “Seniors helping Seniors.”

Finally, a wish list for future consideration included a Central Circular Core route with service at least every fifteen minutes. For those coming from the outer municipalities, a Park and Ride system was suggested - and then the crème de la crème, “free rides during non rush-hour times, say midday until 3 p.m. And even the bright idea that people would actually take the bus at any time for a “joy ride” and to enjoy the view.

A visitor from Toronto had the last word when he said he was “amazed to hear the passengers exiting the buses actually saying ‘Thank You’ to the driver.” This, perhaps, speaks volumes about how we value our transit system – a very convenient truth.