Better Transit YYJ

This morning, both the BC Conservatives and the BC NDP ruled out a vehicle levy to fund public transit in Metro Vancouver. This despite the vehicle levy being commonly used in other cities, including Montreal, Seattle, and the bustling metropolis of Gatineau, Quebec.

When will we get a government in BC that actually sets out a vision to not only stabilize transit but also improve it? Is our transit system doomed to always be in crisis mode?

Read our full press release here: https://movementyvr.ca/release-is-transit-doomed-to-always-be-in-crisis/

We've joined Livable CRD, a non-partisan coalition of Capital Region community groups making municipal elections easier to navigate.

Livable CRD publishes a candidate scorecard and questionnaire covering the issues that shape daily life: transit, housing, arts, climate, walking, cycling, healthcare, and good governance. It doesn't tell you how to vote: it does the legwork so you can compare candidates side by side, in plain language, before election day.

Learn more and follow along:

2026 Capital Region candidate scorecard Livable CRD is a non-partisan coalition scoring Capital Regional District municipal candidates on transit, housing, climate, arts, and other livability issues.

If Saskatoon can have bus lanes downtown, why can't we?

HOV will only make the bus slower and reduce the number of shoppers downtown.

How would converting bus lanes to High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes help downtown businesses?

If the proposal were to convert bus lanes to business-frontage parking, the argument might at least be understandable. But with BC Transit already losing an estimated 150,000 service hours to congestion, reducing the effectiveness of transit seems counterintuitive.

Look at the buses in the image. They could be carrying as many passengers as all the other vehicles shown combined, potentially even more!

Downtown businesses need people, not simply more vehicles. Customers who arrive by bus, train, bicycle, on foot or by car all contribute to the downtown economy. The more reliably and efficiently people can reach downtown, the larger the potential customer base for local businesses.

Car-centric development in the Capital Region has reached its practical limits. There simply isn't unlimited highway or downtown street capacity for more cars. If we make transit slower and less reliable, we're not solving the underlying transportation problem, we're making it harder for thousands of potential customers to get downtown.

And this is where rail becomes part of the business solution. Trains are an attractive form of transit, pulling far more passive riders from their cars. The tracks don't look like a car lane, so there's no argument about their use.

Simply put, a restored Island Rail Corridor could bring more people into downtown from surrounding communities, while local buses distribute those passengers throughout the urban area. Dedicated bus lanes help make those connections reliable. Multi-use trails provide another way to reach stations and businesses. Roads continue to serve those who need to drive.

This isn't about choosing rail over buses, or buses over cars. It's about building a transportation network that brings more people to our downtowns comfortably, and gives them more reliable ways to spend their time and money there.

Restore Island Rail
https://restoreislandrail.com

Our friend Charlie ND made a video about the bus lane project on the highway.

More bus lanes coming soon! Go to https://bettertransityyj.ca/join-better-transit/ to get invol...

Better Transit YYJ Chair Sam Holland joins Josh & Jade on CFAX 1070 to discuss BC Transit's draft 25-year Victoria Regional Transit Plan, which the organization broadly supports, and why they believe Greater Victoria needs a greater sense of urgency if it hopes to achieve its long-term transit goals.

Advocacy group says Victoria's transit vision needs more urgency - CFAX 1070 Better Transit YYJ Chair Sam Holland joins Josh & Jade to discuss BC Transit's draft 25-year Victoria Regional Transit Plan, which the organization broadly supports, and why they believe Greater Victoria needs a greater sense of urgency if it hopes to achieve its long-term transit goals. Image Sourc...

From the Draft Victoria Regional Transit Plan
"Implementing bus priority supports ridership and mode share goals through faster travel time for customers. At the same time, increasing bus speed will allow BC Transit to deliver transit services sooner and at lower cost."

Adding cars back to a street caused a 40% DROP in business. Cars don't buy things, people do.

Businesses feeling the impact after Montreal street opens up to cars this summer For the first time in four years, St-Denis Street has lost its pede...

“HOV lanes are not the solution that we need on one of the busiest transit corridors in North America,” said Sam Holland with Better Transit YYJ. “The problem with going to HOV lanes, you then need to enforce them.”

DVBA floats HOV lanes in Victoria as it calls for 'pause' on non-essential road work With massive changes to roads in the downtown core over the past few years, the DVBA says it's time for a breather and to take stock.

Saanich just updated its climate plan, we thank council for adding in more about bus lanes and transit priority, because no credible climate plan will succeed without getting people willingly out of cars and onto transit.

Saanich Climate Plan The propsed 2026 Climate Plan: 100% Renewable and Resilient Saanich [PDF - 64 MB] will be presented to Saanich Council on Monday, June 22nd for approval. Thank you to all the many people and organizations who have contributed to the development of this Plan to date.