Jeff Shields: Chilliwack Election Transit Questionnaire Response
1. Will you prioritize the opening of a new transit operations facility? The current facilities are holding the city back from growing transit, and adopting a cleaner fleet of transit vehicles.
BC Transit has told us they have funding in place for a new facility but the biggest issue we have is finding the available acreage to put it. In order to be long-term, we need a 5-10 acre parcel. Traditional industrial land is rare and priced at a premium and the ALC will not allow us to use Ag land (Parr road was submitted to the ALC and they would not even consider it) First Nations land is a consideration as well as looking at outlying areas.
2. Will you prioritize the construction of a proper downtown transit exchange? The current setup requires transit vehicles to make large loops around a variety of city blocks and through a number of signalized intersections just to turn around at the end of a route or to switch from one route to another. This is a major detriment to providing frequent and reliable transit. Passengers may need to travel a great distance just to get from one of our current "downtown exchange" stops to another.
Yes, we do need to have proper exchanges and it is about finding the proper place for it so it is not a hindrance to traffic. The city currently owns a property that could fulfill the exchange requirements and is working with BC Transit on making it happen.
3. Will you support increased service levels and reliability, including on Sunday's & Holidays? People who get around by transit need to do so, even on the weekend. On Sundays, the main route in Chilliwack, route 51 only runs hourly, with a late start and early end.
Service and reliability are the main drivers to getting people out of their cars and into transit. We developed an expansion to transit schedules through consultation between TAC and BC Transit which was submitted to the Ministry for approval. Unfortunately, the Ministry froze all funding for transit this year. The municipal portion was approved by Council at the recommendation of TAC.
4. Will you work to see Handy Dart service extended to weekends? In Chilliwack, people who rely on Handy Dart to get around, are not able to do so except during "normal business hours" Monday-Friday. This is inequitable.
Once again, after hearing from the seniors and those with accessibility needs we put forth a new Handidart schedule that would see longer weekday hours and a weekend schedule. it was approved by council and we are now awaiting BC Transit approval. The other issue is now finding drivers as transit has not been exempt from the current labour shortage.