Decision-making on transit policy

Key policy decisions that affect the likely success of transit are made by a variety of stakeholders at different levels.

To consider: What collaboration is required from each partner to ensure effective implementation of transit plans?

For example:

Land Use

Land use policy and planning is a crucial tool for transforming transit usage in a financially sustainable way; conversely, if land-use planning does not consider transit, it can make it more difficult for transit to be financially viable. Local governments in British Columbia currently make many of the key decisions in land use planning. Provincial government decisions also influence land use and development.

Text box F - Transit and land use (click to read)

Various land use factors can affect travel behaviour. These factors include population density, regional accessibility, mix of land use types, and the connections between walkways and roads (see table below). This information can be used for planning land use development and transportation decisions, as well as achieving objectives such as reducing greenhouse gases, improving community livability, and reducing travel costs.[i]

Generally, residents of urban neighbourhoods tend to walk and take public transit more than residents of sprawled locations.[ii] Increased vehicle congestion or parking fees may affect people’s travel behavior by causing them to consolidate trips, use local services more, and shift to alternative modes.

[i] From Litman, Todd, 2012, “Land Use Impacts on Transport: How Land Use Factors Affect Travel Behavior”, Victoria Transport Policy Institute.

[ii] From Litman, 2012, p. 8

Land Use Factor	Definition	Travel Impacts
Population density	The number of people or jobs per unit of land	Reduces vehicle ownership and travel, and increases use of alternative modes.
Mix of land use types	The mixture of housing, commercial and institutional land use	Greater mix tends to reduce vehicle travel and increase use of alternative modes, especially walking. E.g. a neighbourhood with housing only results in more people using cars to get to shops and facilities compared with a neighbourhood where these shops and facilities exist together with housing.
Regional accessibility	The location of development relative to a regional urban centre	This reduces per capity vehicle mileage. The further a resident or employee is from the centre, the more they tend to drive.
Connections between walkways and roads	The degree to which walkways and roads are connected	Increased roadway connectivity can reduce vehicle travel, and improved walkway connectivity increases non-motorized travel. Lack of connectivity in suburban streets (cul de sac development), typically designed to reduce through traffic, makes these developments impossible to serve efficiently by public transit.
Parking supply and management	Number of parking spaces per building unit or acre, and how parking is managed and priced	Putting an end to "free parking" tends to reduce vehicle ownership and use, and increase use of alternative modes.
Site design	Oriented for auto or multi-modal accessibility	More multi-modal site design can reduce automobile trips. E.g. a building with a main entrance directly accessible from a sidewalk and/or bus stop encourages walking or transit more than a building whose main entrance is accessible through a parking lot.

Text box G - Transit-oriented development (click to read)

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) refers to residential and commercial areas designed to maximize transit access and use. Studies indicate that people who live and work in TODs tend to own fewer vehicles, drive less and rely more on alternative modes of transportation than they would in more automobile dependent locations.

The concept of “location efficiency” looks at the combined household spending on housing and transportation. With rising energy costs, the higher land cost of living in a transit friendly neighbourhood can actually make for a more affordable cost of living by reducing the cost of transportation. Not needing a second vehicle, or even a first vehicle, can greatly increase the affordability of urban living, even in moderately sized communities.

To consider: How can transit and land use planning processes effectively be integrated?

Transportation

Broader transportation policies such as the location and size of highways and bridges, parking fees, or road regulations also affect transit’s financial and environmental success. Transit services often cross jurisdictional boundaries, and therefore require collaboration between different jurisdictions and levels of government to run smoothly and consistently. For example, the proposed rapid transit project for Victoria would run through five municipalities and on a highway that is under provincial jurisdiction.

To consider: How are transit goals integrated into the overall vision for the overall vision for transportation in B.C.?

Economic

Government economic policies and other decisions beyond the transportation arena can also influence the success and financial viability of transit services—for example, tax policies (such as a carbon tax, or tax deductions for a bus pass) or regional development policies. Energy policy also has a direct influence on transit; when consumers feel gas prices are low, they may maintain or increase single-occupancy vehicle use rather than choosing more energy efficient transportation such as public transit.

To consider: What are the potential impacts of other government initiatives and activities on the achievement of transit objectives? If these may have a negative impact, how can conflicting priorities be reconciled?

Other important decisions that influence transit success at the local level include the location, fares and level of transit service to be provided. These choices are closely linked to funding decisions. Many of these decisions are made by local governments, or local governments in partnership with provincial government and/or BC Transit – see Transit roles and responsibilities and the BC Transit funding sources section.

The Provincial Transit Plan provided transit authorities and local governments with a vision that could inspire transportation decisions in support of the above mentioned goals. BC Transit’s ability to implement the goals and objectives of the Provincial Transit Plan are dependent upon how transit decisions are made. As local governments have the responsibility to make decisions regarding transit service levels, BC Transit’s ability to control or influence decisions is limited by the realities of local government affordability and its own local goals and objectives for transit. BC Transit advised us that the world economic crisis which occurred subsequent to the release of the Provincial Transit Plan put further pressure on local governments' ability to achieve and support Provincial Transit Plan goals and objectives, and in many cases simply maintaining current transit service levels has proven to be a challenge.

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To consider: What collaboration is required from each partner to ensure effective implementation of transit plans?

To consider: How can transit and land use planning processes effectively be integrated?

To consider: How are transit goals integrated into the overall vision for the overall vision for transportation in B.C.?

To consider: What are the potential impacts of other government initiatives and activities on the achievement of transit objectives? If these may have a negative impact, how can conflicting priorities be reconciled?