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.
After extensive data collection and analysis, the project team has identified a preferred alignment for detailed evaluation. See the Progress Update for details on the process that has led to this point, and where we go from here.
The planning stage of the VRRTP is estimated to cost approximately $800,000. Once the preferred solution has been identified, the cost of the next phases can be estimated.
Victoria Regional Rapid Transit Project Work Plan (pdf - 1.4mb) Work Flow Diagram (pdf - 46 kb) Meeting Schedule (pdf - 144 kb) Rapid Transit Glossary (pdf - 1.4 mb) Detailed Guiding Principles (pdf - 27 kb) Project organizational structure (pdf - 203 kb) Engineering group background (pdf - 48 kb)