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Thousands give input for new transportation plan
Letter to the Editor
Over the past nine weeks, the Government of B.C. has heard from thousands of British Columbians online and in face-to-face meetings as we gathered input for the province’s new 10-year transportation plan. I want to thank all British Columbians who took the time to participate. Your input will help us complete ‘B.C. on the Move,’ our roadmap for provincial transportation improvements over the next decade.
B.C. on the Move will be ready for presentation in early spring 2015.
It will set out a series of short-, medium- and longer-term priorities that will focus on growing the economy, moving goods and people safely and reliably, connecting and strengthening communities, and maximizing collaboration and investment with partners including First Nations, the federal government, local governments, and the private sector.
This was an opportunity for British Columbians to join in the conversation and let government know about their most pressing transportation needs. Our B.C. on the Move website was visited over 44,000 times. I hosted a Twitter Town Hall, during which time ministry staff logged over 180 ideas from the public. And, at the close of our public comment period on Dec. 12, over 12,500 surveys had been submitted.
To complement the public feedback, ministry staff met with key transportation stakeholders across the province to gather their input.
Since the middle of October, ministry staff met with over 550 representatives of First Nations, local governments, chambers of commerce, and port and airport authorities, in over 100 meetings.
Additionally, my parliamentary secretary, Jordan Sturdy, met with over 70 stakeholder groups on Vancouver Island in early September, hearing first-hand the transportation needs of Island communities.
In these meetings, we heard a number of common ideas. These include strengthening connections to our Pacific Gateway ports, improvements to side roads and highways in rural areas, a desire for more rest areas and pullouts on provincial highways, continued investment in highway four-laning, improvements to cycling networks and infrastructure, and support for investments in regional airports.
Once B.C. on the Move is complete next spring, I look forward to travelling around the province, meeting with British Columbians, and sharing the details of our new 10-year provincial transportation plan.
It will also be available online at https://engage.gov.bc.ca/transportationplan.
Through this engagement, you’ve had the opportunity to help shape our transportation priorities for the next decade and I thank you again for participating. A safe, efficient, integrated, cost-effective transportation network is the backbone of our economy, and B.C. on the Move will keep our economy moving forward.
Lead image: Highway 3 east of Jaffray. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
Todd Stone,
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
