Transportation Progress Report - April - 2007

From Common Energy UVic

Editors note: Boxes in blue are suggestions.

Boxes in this colour are questions.

This is the progress report of the Transportation Working Group.

The question posed to the Transportation Working Group:

How can the University create a safe, reliable, comprehensive and climate-friendly transportation system in the region?

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Section I: Transportation Infrastructure and Urban Design 3 Section II: Institutional Transportation 4 Section III: Individual Transportation 5 Going Beyond Climate Neutral 6 References

[edit] Introduction

The Transportation Working Group's challenge, formulated in the question above, is wide ranging. Transportation is an integral part of our daily lives. We use it to get to and from work, school, appointments and many other activities. How we move about depends not only on our personal choices, but also on the way our communities are planned and the way their transportation infrastructure is designed. A sustainable transportation network involves many different modes of transportation, including dedicated bike lanes and walking paths, public transit and private transportation.

Transportation choices have a major impact on an individual's carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e). According to the Capital Regional District's 2004 greenhouse gas inventory, 53% of emissions are transportation related.^[1] However, reducing CO₂e emissions is only one factor in creating a sustainable transportation network. Designing a high quality, low impact transportation system involves other factors, such as integrated land use planning and community design. To begin to implement such a system we must identify how transportation is governed in the region, and identify the factors that inhibit or support the creation of an effective and sustainable transportation system.

This summary addresses these issues, and is divided into three main sections: Urban Design and Transportation Infrastructure, Institutional Transportation, and Individual Transportation Choices.

[edit] Section I: Transportation Infrastructure and Urban Design

Public transit is not the first-choice for many Canadians when choosing a mode of transportation. The popularity of the private automobile is deeply embedded in our community design, our national infrastructure, and even our sense of self. The numbers are startling and impressive: there are more than 18 million [private] motor vehicles registered in Canada, which account for approximately one-eighth of the CO₂e emissions. With a population of approximately 32 million, this means that there is one private vehicle for every two people in the country. ^[2] Since the invention of the internal combusion engine, cities have increasingly been designed around the private automobile. Combined with the percieved convenience of owning a car this transportation network has made Canadians dependent on cars.

CE supports the construction and maintenance of infrastructure and services that will provide the region with a high quality transportation network; one that is well designed, convenient, high quality and time- and price-competitive. Apart from concerns about peak oil and CO₂ emissions, the construction and improvement of arterial roads inevitably leads to more traffic and increased congestion. ^[3] As decisions regarding transportation infrastructure span all levels of government, it is vital for the university to engage and collaborate with the appropriate government bodies. Generally, the local government is responsible for road and street planning, traffic management (which includes pedestrian and cycling access and parking), and regional transportation planning; the province governs BC Transit, funding for large capital projects, the gas tax rate, and PST exemptions; the federal government is responsible for heavy rail, national highways such as the Trans-Canada, and it has discretionary ability to spend money on transportation systems. ^[4]

The governance of the region’s transportation system is a key factor in the university’s ability to have a beyond climate neutral effect. Ultimately, transportation needs to become a priority and to be recognized as a shared responsibility - and opportunity - rather than a shared burden.

Transportation is an excellent example of an issue that is not handled well within our current model of governance. The issue is diverse, involving decisions about land use, urban design, road use, public funding, personal behaviour, and infrastructure design and maintenance. Because of the challenges of multiple authorities, it is necessary to investigate models of effective intergovernmental cooperation that allow for comprehensive decision-making.

Despite the effectiveness and co-benefits of public transit for urban mobility, public transit, in isolation, is not the answer by itself. The critical issue for the implementation of a well-designed transportation system is the practice of urban design; in order for public transit to become the public's first choice, the network must be designed around public transit and move away from the private vehicle. Evidence shows that this is an effective solution. According to the VTPI, “[t]ransit investments by themselves are not usually the most cost effective way to reduce roadway congestion. However, they become more cost effective at reducing congestion if implemented with complimentary road pricing, mobility management strategies and smart growth land use policies.” ^[5]

Actions:

• Lobby the VRTC to speed up the implementation of its two new proposed routes: 12 Kenmore and 13 Cadboro Bay. These routes would greatly benefit the UVic community because UVic will be a main hub and Gordon Head is an especially popular neighbourhood for students.
• Lobby for better bus-bike integration in the Victoria Regional Transit System, for example greater capacity bike racks on buses, and better bike lock-up facilities at transit stops.
• Engage the community about Light Rail Transit (LRT) by sponsoring a public lecture series and distributing promotional materials.
• Research the limitations of the current governance structure as it relates to transportation.
• Research the best practices of governance models for transportation.
• Combine existing research on Smart Growth and Transportation into the Knowledge Base.

Proposals:

• Facilitate all candidates’ forums on transportation issues at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.
• Advocate for more transit funding at the provincial and federal levels, specifically via the fuel tax. In the long term, CE supports LRT on Douglas Street, along McKenzie Avenue to UVic, to the Western Communities and up the Saanich Peninsula.

[edit] Section II: Institutional Transportation

There are several ways that CE can work with the University to improve institutional transportation. CE hopes to work closely with the appropriate University offices on several new initiatives and build on past successes, like the TDM strategies and the student U-Pass program.

Currently, all undergraduate and graduate students receive a U-Pass at roughly one fourth the regular price, with staff, faculty and administration eligible for monthly bus pass subsidies. A universal bus pass for the entire UVic community would be visionary and effective in increasing the use of public transit. Parking management is an important piece of the puzzle, and CE will further investigate for a model suitable for UVic. The University's vehicle fleet includes many conventional gas and diesel powered vehicles. Replacing or re-powering them with more CO₂ efficient vehicles would both reduce the University's carbon footprint and serve as an example to the community.

Actions

• Facilitate the coordination and construction of the planned bike kiosk.
• Lobby the UVSS and the GSS to formally support the bike kiosk.
• Research the most appropriate parking management system for UVic.

Proposals

• Advocate for the installation of more tele- and video-conferencing facilities, for training staff and students to use theses facilities effectively, and the eliminication of institutional barriers to their use.
• Lobby for a campus-wide Universal Bus Pass (U-Pass).
• Advocate for UVic to upgrade its vehicle fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles.

[edit] Section III: Individual Transportation

Education is a powerful tool for changing behaviour. A combination of increased education and new incentives for using options other than single occupancy vehicles will lead members of the University community to make more environmentally sound transportation choices.

Actions:

• Work with SPOKES, UVic's bicycle bursary program, to increase student and faculty awareness of SPOKES, and increase the program's capacity by helping with recruitment of more mechanics and volunteers.

Proposals:

• Create a brochure for New Student Orientation (UVic’s student orientation program) to be included in the student orientation package (to be produced by CE) describing the personal, societal and environmental benefits of alternative transportation.
• Promote awareness of carpooling and car sharing options in Victoria.
• Improve education about pedestrian and cycling in the region.

[edit] Going Beyond Climate Neutral

Taking transportation at the University of Victoria beyond climate neutral is especially challenging because the university’s transportation system is so tightly integrated with that of the surrounding region. This also means that, when the university’s transportation system goes beyond climate neutral, it will have a profound impact on the region and the city.

The university can approach climate neutrality by greatly reducing the CO2 emissions of its own fleet and by encouraging all members of the university community to use low-or-no-carbon modes of transport. It can catalyze this by implementing a campus wide u-pass and investigating and implementing an optimal tiered parking structure.

The university can go beyond climate neutral by its leadership in advocating low-or-no-carbon transport throughout the region, by researching and publishing the environmental and health benefits of walking, cycling, and using public transit (especially light rail transit). Perhaps the greatest influence that the university can have is to provide a powerful example of successful governance. By taking effective action to address climate change (e.g., by implementing a campus wide u-pass), the university can offer an example to the larger community (which might then, for example, adopt a regional u-pass for all citizens). The university must also advocate directly for sustainable transportation in the surrounding region. Because of its size and deep connections, the university can have a significant impact on regional transportation policy.

[edit] References

1. ↑ Capital Regional District. “Capital Region Community Energy Plan.” Dec 21, 2006
2. ↑ Government of Canada, Eco Technology Backgrounder, February 14, 2007: http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2007/07-gc005e.htm#Fact
3. ↑ http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=185
4. ↑ Capital Regional District. “Capital Region Community Energy Plan.” Dec 21, 2006
5. ↑ Litman, Todd. "Smart Congestion Relief II: Evaluating Rail Transit Benefits.” Victoria Transport Policy Institute (2006), p. 11