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Project Detail Stages: Data Collection Identity & Confirm Regional Transit Corridors Develop Alignment Options for West Shore to Core Area Preliminary Screening of Alignment Options Detailed Screening of Shortlisted Options Approval of Preferred Alignment Technology Evaluation
Public Consultation & Feedback Sessions: March 2009 June 2009 October 2009 June 2010 October 2010 May 2011
With growth in the West Shore area contributing to significant increases in vehicular traffic entering Victoria during the past decade, BC Transit, working with the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, has sought to improve rapid transit linkages into Victoria from the West Shore.
In early 2008, a proposed RapidBus connection using a new median on Douglas Street for dedicated bus lanes that could be converted to light rail transit (LRT) in the future, was shelved. As proposed, the Douglas Street Busway plan had met strong opposition, and there was a clear desire for a broader, more comprehensive and integrated regional transportation strategy.
The January 2008 release of the Provincial Transit Plan promoting the expansion of reliable rapid transit in British Columbia provided the opportunity to embark on a more detailed study of rapid transit network options. The Victoria Regional Rapid Transit Project (VRRTP) is intended to develop recommendations for a rapid link between Victoria and the West Shore in a better defined context.
Rapid transit is a transit system designed to improve travel time, reliability, passenger comfort and convenience along an exclusive right-of-way. A rapid transit system provides frequent, high-capacity service that runs all day, every day. It is a service whose time has come in the Capital Region, which experiences heavy transit demand all day, particularly to and from the core area which stretches from downtown Victoria to Uptown.
Rapid transit is not a substitute or replacement for local bus service or commuter rail, which perform different functions. Local bus service operates in mixed traffic and has more closely-spaced stops. Commuter rail connects distant centres during peak commuting hours.
Click here for a table illustrating a range of rapid transit technologies, including the rail-based Streetcar/Tram and road-based BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) options being considered for the Capital Region.