Victoria Transit Future Vision

Vision Statement

The Victoria Regional Transit system is a leader of integrated transportation solutions connecting people and the communities to a more sustainable future.

Goals

Transit is an attractive alternative to driving.
By improving all aspects of service quality, transit can become more attractive and competitive with driving. This is critical for increasing transit ridership, especially for attracting choice riders.
- Service is fast and direct.
  - Fast and direct service means travel times will be more competitive with driving.
  - More limited-stop and express services, including rapid transit, connecting major centres and other key destinations.
- Service is convenient and reliable.
  - Convenient and reliable service means that a customer can go to a bus stop at any time of the day without consulting a schedule since there will be a bus within a minimum of 15 minutes.
  - A network of rapid and frequent transit lines connect to local services and provide guaranteed minimum service frequencies and hours.
  - Measures such as separate right of ways (on either rail or road) to keep transit vehicles out of mixed traffic, lanes to jump congestion at intersections, and priority measures to reduce delays at traffic lights.
  - High-quality connections where transfers are necessary.
  - The local transit network complements the network of rapid and frequent transit lines, providing coverage within walking distance of most residents and jobs.
- Service is easy to use.
  - The route structure and schedule are easy to understand, and information is readily available for passengers to plan and complete their trips.
  - An easily understandable system with a simple route structure and consistent schedules and headways wherever possible.
  - Trip-planning information, and improved wayfinding signage at transit exchanges, stops, and stations.
- Service is comfortable.
  - Passenger comfort throughout the transit journey helps make transit an attractive travel option.
  - A high level of passenger amenities at transit stations, exchanges, and transit stops.
  - Transit vehicles designed to provide a comfortable on-board experience.
  - Sufficient service capacity to reduce crowding and standing, especially on longer trips.
- Service is accessible for everyone.
  - Service is accessible for all residents, including those who have mobility difficulties or other disabilities and those using mobility aids.
  - Transit vehicles, stops, exchanges and are fully accessible.
  - handyDART users encouraged to make all or part of their trip using accessible conventional service by providing travel training and improved connections in the design of transit exchanges and stations.
The transit system reduces our impact on the environment.
A typical transit trip produces about 70% fewer greehouse gases per passenger per kilometre than the same trip made by single occupant vehicle

In addition to providing an attractive alternative to driving, transit can also reduce our impact on the environment by supporting a sustainable transportation network that makes it easy to get around by walking, cycling and transit.
- Transit supports a sustainable urban form.
  - Transit promotes and supports a more walkable and community-focused compact land use pattern that reduces land and energy consumption and greenhous gas production.
  - The transit network supports major centres, neighborhood centres, and other key areas designated in the Regional Growth Strategy and municipal Official Community Plans by focusing the network of rapid and frequent transit services on these nodes.
  - Development is guided into medium and higher density, mixed use corridors by designating these as frequent transit corridors and providing a high level of service and investment.
- Transit supports a sustainable transportation network.
  - Transit supports sustainable transportation modes by supporting a walkable urban form and by integrating the transit network with walking and cycling.
  - High quality pedestrian linkages to the transit system, provision of bike facilities, and coordination of the regional cycling and transit networks allow for greater integration of walking, cycling and transit trips.
The transit system is efficient.
- The transit system maximizes ridership for the amount of resources it uses.
  - The transit network features layers of service that better match service levels to demand.
  - Reduced duplication of services along corridors through evolving the Victoria Region's transit route structure to operate and look more like a grid rather than the spokes on a wheel. This means that there would be more ability to efficiently travel across the region with less need to travel through downtown on cross town trips. It also means building frequencies on routes to make transfers convenient. Travel may have more transfers but will be more direct.
  - Service is focused on high productivity destinations, neighbourhood centres and corridors with supporting land use and the greatest potential for increasing ridership.