Sooke residents are again offered the opportunity to have their voices heard on transit services.
On Thursday (Dec. 5) B.C. Transit representatives host two sessions where the public has the chance to offer their perspectives on what they see as priorities for improving bus service in Sooke.
An afternoon session takes place between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. at SEAPARC Leisure Complex and an evening session is at EMCS, between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.
B.C. Transit staff will be available at both sessions, seeking input on the second phase of the Local Area Transit Plan.
Phase one of the plan took place last February when two workshops were held, one with residents and the second with transit operators.
Based on those sessions, B.C. Transit found Sooke residents had a strong desire for local routes to enable connections to regional-scale routes in order to reduce the need to drive to the park and ride facility. They also heard that Sooke was looking for hourly local service within Sooke and late night local service on Fridays and Saturdays.
The February sessions contributed to the development of the draft plan, and now it’s time for the community to once again have its say.
“We’ll now be gathering the feedback on these draft plans and, once we’ve completed the local area plan, we’ll be developing the local and regional plans and presenting them for approval,” Lisa Trotter, B.C. Transit’s senior manager of government relations, said.
“There’s a lot of work still to be done, but I expect that the process will be complete within the next three years.”
The draft plan that will be presented on Dec. 5 outlines interim improvements for transit service and infrastructure that, once approved, will be implemented over the next seven to 15 years. It’s one of nine focused Local Area Transit Plans being developed across the Victoria Regional Transit System.
“This is a very difficult and complex plan that has to balance local demand with regional services,” Trotter said.
Anyone who can’t make it to the feedback sessions is invited to take part in an online survey on the B.C. Transit website.
mailto:tim.collins@sookenewsmirror.com
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