A BC Transit representative is recommending the City of Powell River participate in a transit service review for the entire region.
Daniel Pizarro, regional transit manager for the Powell River area, made a presentation about the issue at the city’s February 21 committee-of-the-whole meeting. He said there hasn’t been a transit service review in the area since 2001 and during that time the socio-demographic factors in the community have changed. “It’s a good time to look at how the transit system relates to the people who live here,” he said.
The primary objective of the review is to create a five-year plan in addition to a longer-term vision for transit investment. “Some of the most important stuff we’re going to try to do is support and align transit and land use planning,” Pizarro said. That includes reviewing official community, climate action, transportation and town centre plans.
As well, the review will help to achieve emissions reductions and other sustainability goals. “A lot of what we do in transit future plans and service reviews isn’t going to be just looking at bus service,” Pizarro said. “It’s to see how we can tie in other modes of transport, cycling and anything else that’s relevant to the area.”
The review will be done in tandem with the rural transit system, Pizarro said. “It makes sense that we look at both systems together and any kind of efficiencies that can be made,” he said. “The first time I came up here and rode the system I noticed that there are a few efficiencies that would be quite simple to make.”
A memorandum of understanding initiates the project. That is followed by scoping the project, confirming participating local partners and signing off on terms of reference.
As part of the context and analysis phase, background about the existing service will be prepared, along with a comparative analysis with other transit systems, analysis of current and future community needs of service and markets and a review of vehicles and infrastructure.
The most important part of the project is public consultation, said Pizarro, which will be carried out in two phases. The first phase is listening. “We’re just going out there to collect as much information from the public as we can to determine what is required,” he said. “This is done through social media, standard passenger surveys and we will also be holding workshops in and around Powell River.”
The consultation phase is followed by an options analysis, then a draft report, which includes draft service change options. The report guides the second phase of public consultation, which involves another survey and a public open house.
Next, final service change options are developed and a finalized report is presented to local government for input and approval.
The entire process is expected to take 10 months to one year and BC Transit would like to start the process in September this year.
According to a report from Tor Birtig, director of infrastructure, BC Transit and city staff have identified nine areas of the conventional and handyDART system that will be investigated to improve efficiencies. “We’ll be able to look at issues like having runs to the [Powell River] Recreation Complex, modifying routing if it shows in the review that these areas need not be serviced, much like the top of Toba [Street], changing existing routing, trying to capture as many potential customers as can be,” Birtig said.
Additional areas may be identified as part of establishing the project’s terms of reference.
Councillors referred the recommendation to proceed with a transit service review and sign a memorandum of understanding to the March 7 council meeting. Mayor Dave Formosa declared a conflict of interest because one of his companies has a contract with BC Transit. He left the committee room for Pizarro’s presentation and discussion about Birtig’s report.
