Nanaimo's candidates' promises on Transit & Transportation

BC Ferries

BC Liberals

Review ferry schedules with goal of hourly service on high-frequency routes.

BC NDP

Improve BC Ferries service at peak time, allocate more space to reservations, allow walk-on reservations, and coordinate with BC Transit and TransLink to align scheduling and provide a more seamless passenger experience.

BC Greens

Ensure that BC Ferries can maintain service levels despite long-term losses from COVID.
Bring BC Ferries back into the government as a Crown Corporation.
Conduct a full review of BC Ferries operations focused on providing an efficient, public service.

Emissions

We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Emissions.

BC NDP

Move towards a net-zero emission bus fleet powered by electrification, hydrogen fuel, cell technologies, and other zero-emissions technologies.

BC Greens

Invest in electrifying transit systems, including partnering with the federal government to accelerate support for BC Transit and TransLink to electrify their bus fleets.

Infrastructure

BC Liberals

Widen the Trans-Canada highway in the Fraser Valley to six lanes all the way to Whatcom Road.
Increase funding for road and bridge maintenance.
Upgrade highway rest areas.
Enforce open procurement on public infrastructure projects.

BC NDP

Widen Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley by 2026.

BC Greens

Ensure no disruption in future transit expansion due to the pandemic.

Massey Tunnel replacement

BC Liberals

Replace the Massey Tunnel with a 10-lane bridge with dedicated transit/HOV lane in each direction.

We don't have any BC NDP policies on Massey Tunnel replacement.

We don't have any BC Greens policies on Massey Tunnel replacement.

Transit fares

We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Transit fares.

BC NDP

Make transit free for children aged 12 or under, province-wide.

We don't have any BC Greens policies on Transit fares.

Transit service

BC Liberals

Expand public transit options.
Continue TransLink expansion in areas of population growth, including south of the Fraser, the Fraser Valley, and North Vancouver.
Increase transit hours in the Interior, North, and Vancouver Island.

BC NDP

Expand transit options in the Fraser Valley and the Sea-to-Sky region.
Add more service to the BC Bus North programme.
Improve transit connections to Surrey and Langley with SkyTrain, rail, and rapid bus lines.
Implement the South Island Transportation Strategy.

Expanding transit options for people in growing areas of the province: This includes increased connections within the Tranlink (sic) network for people living in the Fraser Valley and the Sea-to-Sky region, expanded West Coast Express service, and more service for the successful BC Bus North program for rural communities.

— From Working for You.

Improving connections to Surrey and Langley: We'll work with communities to complete the Skytrain (sic) expansion project and add new rail and rapid bus lines.

Delivering better transit for the South island: We will implement the South Island Transportation Strategy, and provide more active transportation infrastructure, rapid bus service to the West Shore, and safety upgrades to the Malahat highway.

Planning for future clean transit projects with long-lasting economic benefits: We'll work with the communities and regions to support planning of key projects, like high-speed transit links for the North Shore and the expansion of rail up the Fraser Valley - bringing cleaner transit and more construction jobs for BC workers.

Promoting cleaner communities and better health through active transportation: We'll work with communities to expand their networks of active transportation as we move towards our CleanBC goal of doubling trips taken via walking, biking and other kinds of active networks by the year 2030.

— From Working for You.

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BC Greens

Create a South Island regional transportation strategy.
Prioritize investment in transit service.
Ensure that TransLink & BC Transit can maintain service levels despite losses from COVID.
Redesign the transit funding model for stable long-term funding.
Consider mobility pricing.

Work with local governments to establish a vision for sustainable transportation in an era of expanded population grown on the South Island, including through:

- A regional transportation strategy;

- Establishing a regional governance body to overcome fractured decision-making and deliver integrated planning for the growing region;

- Investing in support expansion of public transit options to help people move around more easily;

- Building frequent and affordable public transportation links between cities, such as between Cowichan and the CRD.

Prioritize investment in transit service coming out of COVID-19 to support economic recovery, improve livability of communities, and reduce GHG emissions.

Ensure that the projected long-term losses facing TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries are dealt with so that service levels are maintained, allowing ridership to quickly bounce back through the economic recover period.

Ensure no disruption in future expansion due do the pandemic.

Work with local and regional governments to redesign the transit funding model and establish an equitable, stable long-term funding model for transit.

- This review would include consideration of mobility pricing.

Develop climate and sustainability criteria, including consideration of cumulative impacts, that will be applied to all future capital projects including transportation infrastructure investments.

— From The BC Greens' Plan for a More Equitable and Sustainable BC.

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