Editor's note: This is a copy of a letter to the chair and board of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) and the leaders of SLRD municipalities. It was copied to The Chief for publication.
There are more intersections with traffic lights within the District of Squamish than there are in the City of West Vancouver. They are both about the same size but, West Vancouver has three times as many people.
There are many ways a municipality can deal with traffic congestion. Two of them are public transit and denial. Transit service between Squamish and Whistler ends on March 31.
West Vancouver's Blue Bus Transit system began in 1912, and is the oldest continuously operated municipal system in North America. Blue Buses move people around West Vancouver and to North Vancouver. They travel across the Lions Gate Bridge more than 100 times in each direction every day.
The Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado has transit. The 120-kilometre stretch of State Highway 82 is home to Aspen, Snowmass and several other busy small towns. They began offering transit within four counties, connecting eight small towns, in the early 1970s.
In 1980, the population of the Roaring Fork Valley was less than 20,000. The highway has been widened and improved over the years. By increasing transit, traffic volume has been maintained at 1993 levels. Construction has begun for a new Bus Rapid Transit service.
The main operation of Kings Transit, in Nova Scotia, is hourly service along the 60 km corridor between Greenwood and Wolfville. The service on Highway 1 also offers transit service within the towns of Berwick, Kentville and Wolfville.
The population of Kings County is over 60,000 but, due to the spread-out nature of the county, only about 15,000 live within the service area. More than 25,000 people in the Sea to Sky Corridor live near Highway 99. Last year the Squamish Commuter operated four daily trips between Squamish and Whistler. It cost over $1 million.
Last year, hourly service within Kings County, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., cost just over $1.3 million.
There are many differences between Kings Transit and the Squamish Commuter. Kings Transit does not have a provincial partner providing nearly 47 per cent of its funding. Most of its funding comes from fare revenue. It spends $10,000 in advertising. It takes in $25,000 from selling advertising on the buses.
Kings Transit has a single manager and a board of directors. It does not have a mix of provincial, municipal and private partners, each with different responsibilities, with no central authority. Kings Transit also conducts regular customer surveys to actually know what customers need.
Transit in the Sea to Sky Corridor, between Mount Currie and Britannia Beach, is possible. Municipal leaders need to take greater responsibility for transit within the district, rather than relying on people in Victoria and Prince George.
B.C. Transit does not have the largest fleet in the corridor. Carney's Waste Management has a larger fleet and has been operating in the corridor longer than B.C. Transit. They probably don't spend $350 to send a vehicle from Squamish to Whistler.
Perhaps we should have a local, experienced transportation company running transit in the Sea to Sky Corridor.Murray GambleSquamish
