The first step in determining the best route for a rapid transit system was the collection of data to answer the questions“Where do we live?”, “Where do we work?” and “Where do we go?”, now and in the future. This involved a review of origin/destination travel patterns throughout the day. It also required a thorough review of official community plans and the CRD’s Regional Growth Strategy to identify future residential, commercial/industrial and institutional growth centres.
“Where do we go?” is possibly the most important single question in choosing a rapid transit alignment. If a rapid transit line doesn’t go where people want to go, it will provide little value.
Click the following links for data collection results:
Where do we live?
Where do we work? (1)
Where do we work? (2)
Where do we go?
This data collection yielded some key findings summarized here. One of the most significant findings was that while two-thirds of travelers from the West Shore go to the Core Area (the zone from Uptown to Downtown), only a small fraction actually travel to downtown Victoria. Another was that travel demand is high all day, not just during the traditional commuting hours.
The exercise of identifying and confirming regional transit corridors was fairly simple and straightforward, as the topography and existing travel corridors are well-established. Corridors connecting the West Shore to the Core Area are part of the evaluation for this first stage of the Rapid Transit system. Other corridors, such as those providing further connections to the Saanich Peninsula, University of Victoria, or points beyond the West Shore, will be part of the evaluation for future stages. (See below left) The corridor identification process has also been a key component of the process to update the Transit Future Plan for the Capital Region (below right), which is dovetailing with the Rapid Transit Project.
Regional Transit Corridors Click graphic for full-size PDF