The Capital Regional District (CRD) is moving toward establishing a new transportation service that it says will help improve regional connectivity and better integrate mobility projects.
The CRD board on Sept. 11 approved the first readings of the bylaw that will establish the service. The CRD will look to conduct an alternative approval process on that bylaw early next year.
"Creating the regional transportation service is a bold step to advance regional connectivity and integrated mobility," Kevin Lorette, the CRD's general manager of planning, said at a transportation committee meeting hours before the board's vote.
"It will help align transportation and growth planning, demonstrate regional cooperation, encourage increased investment, bring us closer to a future where residents have more transportation choices and can access convenient, green and affordable multi-modal transportation system to enhance livability."
Staff said the CRD's current transportation roles are limited to planning, data collection and analysis and supporting policy. The service would operate within existing legislation, but would grant the CRD expanded authority to create programs, develop project offerings and provide cost-sharing opportunities.
"Through changes in service delivery, the proposed (service) will empower the CRD to expand its role in achieving our regional transportation goals by enabling the development of innovative programs and projects that support a robust and integrated regional multi-modal network,” board chair Colin Plant said in a news release.
The service's first move will be to update to the decade-old regional transportation plan, which would include identifying "regionally significant" capital projects that could be prioritized.
Staff and CRD directors highlighted how the service will be important for landing major transportation infrastructure investments from senior governments.
Dean Murdock, Transportation Committee chair, called the proposed service the first step toward better collaboration among all CRD's local governments, which he added is the only way to address the region's transportation challenges.
"It's only by working together, by speaking with a common voice – representing close to half a million people – that we're going to attract the kinds of investment that this region needs to get people moving," Murdock said at the Sept. 11 board meeting.
A successful service would also demonstrate to the province the CRD is ready to take on additional responsibilities around achieving the region's transportation vision, staff said.
The service would also make the CRD well-positioned to support local governments in developing transit-oriented communities, staff said.
It would also consolidate governance over matters that may have been handled by several bodies. For example, the service would oversee active transportation-related matters concerning the CRD's three regional trails, which currently get reported to multiple committees.
The service could also help accelerate projects that cross the boundaries of multiple municipalities and could benefit smaller communities that have fewer transportation planners.
