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Is regional transit plan the answer?

(This letter was forwarded to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District chair and directors. A copy was sent to Pique for publication.) Please allow me to re-introduce myself.

(This letter was forwarded to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District chair and directors. A copy was sent to Pique for publication.)


Please allow me to re-introduce myself. Since April 2009 I have used Sea to Sky Transit (#98 Squamish Commuter) as the primary means of transportation from my home in Squamish to work in Whistler. When necessary, I have used the Greyhound, although I have yet to finish my second set of 20 Flex Pass Travel Coupons. When other plans dictate, I drive my car. When weather permits, at the end of my week, I bring my bicycle to work on the bus and ride the 63 km home after work. On some of these trips I have explored the Sea to Sky Trail between Whistler and Squamish.
In the past I have lived in Halifax, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver and used Transit as my primary transportation. I have criss-crossed Canada many times by train and hitch hiking. I've used Transit in most provinces including; buses, trolleys, subways, LRT, passenger and vehicle ferries and the elevated train system in Chicago. When visiting Vancouver, I often take the bus or park on the outskirts and buy a Day Pass to use all of TransLink's services. I've used King's Transit, in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley to travel to work and to Acadia University. I'm highly in favour of public transit.
In 2009 and early 2010 I wrote three letters to local papers about transit and transportation in the Sea to Sky Corridor. When the future of the Squamish Commuter became uncertain I wrote many more. I have searched the online archives of Municipal, District, Provincial and Federal websites. I've combed the files of Transport Canada, the Canadian Urban Transit Association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Transportation Associations of Canada, the American Public Transportation Association and many others. Automatic Google Alerts e-mail me about any new postings on a variety of subjects. I'm by no means an expert but, I've done some homework and given this some thought.

The SLRD has several reports and studies on regional transit, going back at least two decades. It is an idea whose time has come. Regional transit in the SLRD can begin by saving the Squamish Commuter, combining it with the Pemberton Commuter and operating them as a regional transit system. It could probably grow in stages as current Annual Operating Agreements expire. It might eventually operate transit within Squamish and Pemberton, Mount Currie.

In a September 21, 2010 Report to Council, RMOW staff said: "There are two elements which the local transit partner can directly influence to achieve reduced costs. Reduce transit service levels or increase transit fares." I would like to examine two other options. Reduce excessive costs and increase transit use.

At the moment, the price of gas, oil changes, washer fluid and general wear on my 15 year old station wagon is the same as a bus pass for the Squamish Commuter. While service is still available, I will continue to use Transit for most of my commuting. I am having additional service work done on my car to prepare for my 2250 km per month commute, starting on April 1. Why is it cheaper to drive an older, single occupant vehicle, behind a nearly empty bus than to ride on the bus?

The most crippling costs to both Commuter services are the expensive Whistler buses and the expensive Whistler Transit Facility. Aside from the hydrogen buses, the three buses used for the Squamish Commuter are the most expensive vehicles in the fleet. While these vehicles are parked outdoors in Squamish and get much of their service in Squamish, they pay the same percentage of operating and debt-servicing costs for the Transit Facility in Whistler as buses used, parked and serviced in Whistler. The Pemberton Commuter is also paying for the use of Whistler buses and the Whistler Transit Facility.

Quality, late model, used buses are available. BC Transit probably has access to many of them. A less expensive Transit Facility is already being used in Squamish. There are probably places in Pemberton where buses could be parked and even serviced.

A great deal of publicity has surrounded every Transit implementation in or near Whistler. I doubt that BC Transit wants to explain a failure. They were willing to provide 46.69% of poorly managed, over-priced, under-used service for the past three years. I suggest that they might be willing to provide the dollar value of their 2010 contribution, for one more year, to allow a leaner, more efficient service to emerge.

With a combined service, some trips can be scheduled to link all the communities from Mount Currie to Britannia Beach. Service should also be extended to the communities of Black Tusk and Pinecrest. A bus pull-out and turning area was built for them last year with Federal Gas Tax money but, the Commuter doesn't stop there. Daily service to D'Arcy could connect with the rail service from Lillooet which now only goes to D'Arcy on request.
Commuters from Pemberton and Squamish, working in Whistler, will probably be the most frequent users of a Regional Transit system. Shoppers and others seeking government and medical services in Squamish will be close behind. Many others will find reasons to use Transit if they know about it.

In the summer many people travel from Whistler to Squamish to hike the trail up the Stawamas Chief. There are parking areas where buses can pull off on both sides of the highway and a foot bridge to join them. A "commuter trail" was built last year with Federal Gas Tax money, connecting a third parking area to the popular hiking trail. There are members of the Squamish Nation who travel regularly between Squamish, Mount Currie and Lillooet. With several sections of the Sea to Sky Trail completed, there will be cyclists and hikers who want to be picked up or dropped off.

None of these people will use a Regional Transit system if they don't know about it. Transport Canada reports, "Difficulty in finding or understanding basic information on transit fares, routes and schedules can prevent employees from even attempting to use transit." Transit can no longer be regarded as a charity, which people will find out about if they need it. It must be treated as a business and promoted within the community to increase use and awareness.

Daily use by commuters makes them the core group of users. It must be remembered though, that many hundreds of people are already using Commuter Transit on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly level. Many more will use it if they know about it.

King's Transit serves most of Western Nova Scotia. In 1999, Metro Magazine named it one of North America's best small transit systems. In a 2010 report, Transport Canada claims; "Kings Transit Authority is one of Canada's most efficient small transit systems and offers a model for rural communities that want to provide cost-effective transit service."
King's Transit began 30 years ago. They bought their first new buses 10 years ago. They are currently renovating a failed car and truck dealership to create their first service and parking facility. They will no longer be keeping their buses at the School Bus service lot.

Service started with two buses connecting two small towns. It currently connects towns and villages along almost 200 km of Nova Scotia's Highway 1. They have grown to 4 counties and 10 buses without a provincial subsidy such as the 47% provided by BC Transit. They recover two-thirds of their costs from fare revenue.

They are willing to share their information and experience. They have given presentations and provided consultation services for small Transit systems across Canada. With or, without their assistance, they serve as an example of what can be done.

Here are some moments from the history of Sea to Sky Transit, the Squamish Commuter

2006, The Canadian Urban Transit Association included the Sea to Sky Transit Pilot Project in its National Transit Corporate Recognition Awards.
2007, Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed said: "This service is important to the resort community's future. It reduces the number of cars on the highway, improves the quality of our regional air shed, and provides transportation options to our employees."

2008, Squamish released its 5-Year Transit Business Plan. "The Squamish-Whistler route would be expanded in stages over the five years of the Plan from four trips a day in the fall of 2008 to an all-day service, with 8 or 9 trips per day, provided all year round."

2009, $1.2 million in Federal Gas Tax monies were used to create Regional Transit Infrastructure in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. Said West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Joan McIntyre. "This vital funding will go a long way towards improving the everyday lives of residents of the region, while ensuring that the impact of transportation on the environment is minimized."
2010, Fares on Sea to Sky Transit were raised 60% and continuation of the service became doubtful.

2011, Commuter Service between Squamish and Whistler is scheduled to end on March 31.


Murray Gamble

Squamish

Rainbow Theatre money would come from RMI

 

In his column last week, referring to money the RMOW has put aside to assist in the renovation of the Rainbow Theatre, G.D. Maxwell said "the last thing we need to do is spend $500k of any variety of tax money on the Whistler Film Festival." Not quite right.

 

First of all, the money set aside for the Rainbow Theatre comes from the Province of BC and is called the Resort Maintenance Initiative; it is not from Whistler property taxes and cannot be used as part of the community budget. The RMI originates from the hotel tax and we must demonstrate that it is used to maintain and improve the resort or we may not get it in future years. The $500,000 investment in the Rainbow Theatre by the RMOW is a pre-requisite for over $2 million in other funds. It anchors a request to the federal government for $1.1 million, $100,000 in gifts from large foundations and a $1 million request to the provincial government.

 

Secondly, the Rainbow Theatre is actually an RMOW asset that has languished for years as almost unusable, under-performing space. As part of the Whistler Conference Centre, the renovation will provide unique upgraded facilities for the many business conferences hosted in Whistler.

 

Thirdly, the plans for its use provide multiple benefits to the resort and to the community. The theatre renovation will surely benefit the Whistler Film Festival and enable it to continue to grow. The five-day festival provides economic benefits to Whistler of $10 million per year. The renovated theatre will enable this to grow to $20 million. In a feasibility study commissioned by the RMOW, the conclusion is that the biggest risk of the project is "not to do it." At a time when the RMOW is moving ahead with a major cultural tourism strategy, and when the Whistler Film Festival is called one of the foundations from which to build this strategy, the project makes good business sense.

 

Finally, Mr. Maxwell says, "Village 8 can't fill the seats they have."  The plans for the Rainbow Theatre certainly include cinema screenings. But they also include much more, including conference business meetings, live performances, and film project development. The Whistler Film Festival Society has worked with Tourism Whistler and the RMOW for almost twoyears to make sure that the programming will meet the needs of the resort and so that the business model will be successful.

 

Jane Milner, director of development

Whistler Film Festival Society

 

Get going on village animation

 

Seeing that consultant Steve Thorne's completed cultural tourism assessment and strategy for Whistler is still something of a state secret, I thought I would offer some interim advice on village animation; stop putzing around and do something already! It's not that difficult, the Sea to Sky corridor is full of talented musicians, performers, and artists. Free up some money (probably not a lot of money, at that) from the hotel tax and hire some of them go out and do their thing in the tillage.

Every visitor in the village is a potential return customer and we're heading into the busiest period of the year. Waiting for Thorne's report to be released and then implemented is going to take the winter season, and more than likely, the summer season as well. Something, anything, needs to be done now to greater engage Whistler visitors, especially the non-skiing ones.

The name of the game is keeping the customer in the Village for as long as possible. If they stop in for a coffee before heading back to Vancouver and end up catching a street entertainer, or having their kids enter a snowman-making contest, those guests are more likely to do some more shopping in the village, or they might decide to have dinner before they leave instead of when they get back home. Certainly, the quality of their visit will improve and that's good for everyone.

Just to make a comment on Mayor Melamed's remarks in last week's paper. Why is it always the snowplow drivers, or Village maintenance crews, or some other essential service that gets brought up whenever there's talk of budget cuts at the RMOW? We pay enough in property taxes to expect first class snow-clearing, and the plow guys deliver it. Village maintenance is critical to maintaining a top class resort and those guys do a first-rate job as well. Why doesn't the Mayor bring up something like support for the Whistler Centre for Sustainability instead? There's enough municipal money tied up in that single item to plow a mountain of snow.

 

David Buzzard

Whistler

 

Time to re-think what is important in life

 

It's a new year as well as a new decade and time for reflection on what lies ahead of us and what we will leave behind as we approach 2020. Back in the seventies we had two gas stations, Lost Lake really was lost and an evening entertainment was a case of beer watching the bears at the dump. Over the years Blackcomb arrived, the highway improved, real estate was developed with tens of thousands of people purchasing here believing in the raw beauty and incredible mountain terrain of the Whistler valley.  
These people buying allowed the full-time residents in Whistler to enjoy amenities well beyond what a town of ten or even 20,000 could enjoy elsewhere in BC.

With the culmination of the Olympic and Paralympic dreams this past year we are left with this quest for perfection. We have bought into artfully arranged Adirondack chairs, paving stone paths to picnic tables and refurbished rings so people can climb all over them again.
Watching the news as Haiti and much of the world still struggles with providing the most basic of services to their population Whistler residents apparently are not willing to budge on the level of services we enjoy. Let's rethink what is important, what we value and what we can live without.

Sharon Audley

Whistler

Late night operating extension good for resort

 

I am writing in response to a request for comments on the Resort Municipality of Whistler's (RMOW) Draft of Council Policy on Temporary Extension of Closing Hours.

I feel that the draft of policy does not correctly address the needs of much of the consumer base that visit Whistler resort on an annual basis. The draft is shortsighted in its finality, caters to a particular special interest group, and also turns down much needed revenue for the municipality through the application processing fees.

Many guests in the Whistler resort are from areas that entertain later closing hours than those we have in Whistler. A full 30 per cent of visitors are from areas outside of North America that entertain liquor service hours that are much later than 2 a.m. If we are to consider ourselves "World-Class" then we must measure up to the World's standards.

Let's consider other international ski resorts: Lake Tahoe has 24-hour liquor service on the Nevada side, Chamonix has bars and nightclubs operating until 4 a.m., Valle Nevado boasts 5 a.m. and Perisher Blue until 4 am. We are obviously the exception rather than the leader in terms of international nightlife and by adopting this proposed policy we are ignoring what our guests may be accustomed to.

The draft is worded in such a way that closes the discussion on operating hour extensions. This is not a trial period policy subject to review after three months, this is a termination of the application process so that there will only be "extraordinary circumstances" considered, that "do not have any unacceptable negative impacts on the community or the resort."

This policy IS an unacceptable negative impact on the resort. The nightlife in Whistler has made us what we are today - setting the standard for the competition. We offer cosmopolitan flair at nature's door. With this policy we would be closing the door on a market of the resort without further review.

 

Brenton Smith

General Manager, O&R Entertainment

 

Safety first when it comes to ski racks

 

BC Transit's decision to keep buses free of ski racks was based on safety, capacity and regulation. This is consistent for all BC Transit systems, including ones that operate in ski resorts.

With Whistler's new, 100 per cent accessible, low-floor fleet, exterior space to mount ski racks is limited. Skis on the racks would block emergency exit windows from the outside so passenger seating would have to be removed in order to meet safety regulations. Placing racks at the rear of the bus poses a safety risk, as drivers would be unable to see customers loading and unloading their skis. Installing racks inside the bus would mean removing more seats and a wheelchair position.

Customers with skis and snowboards are welcome to take transit. Customers are reminded to be mindful of other passengers and to hold their skis and snowboards safely in front of you with ski tips pointed down.

 

Joanna Linsangan

Manager, Public Relations, BC Transit

 

National Non-Smoking Week is January 16 - 22

 

The Canadian Cancer Society BC and Yukon is calling on the BC government and Liberal leadership candidates to support smokers who wish to quit by providing funding for nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) for those British Columbia smokers trying to quit.

During National Non-Smoking Week, the BC government can reassert British Columbia's leadership position in tobacco control.

Smoking cessation products help smokers quit. NRT, such as the nicotine patch and nicotine gum, combined with physician counseling have a proven record of treating tobacco addiction. Similar improvements in quitting success result from medications that help reduce cravings and minimize withdrawal effects.

Tobacco use remains the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in British Columbia, killing over 6,000 British Columbians each year. Tobacco use is estimated to cost the BC economy $2.3 billion annually and causes 30 per cent of all cancer deaths and 85 per cent of lung cancer cases.

We commend the BC government for continuing to fund QuitNow.ca < http://quitnow.ca > and QuitNow by Phone, free smoking cessation programs that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all British Columbians. However, if we know that smoking is an addiction, we should also help pay for treatment for the estimated 70 per cent of smokers who wish to quit.

British Columbia would become the third Canadian province to pay for smoking cessation products. Quebec was first; Saskatchewan the second (for medications only).

Let's work together to urge our provincial politicians to support smokers who wish to quit.

Ashley Duyker

Health Promotion Coordinator

Canadian Cancer Society

 

IPPs have their place

 

Let's not throw out the baby with the river water! The problems with IPP's in B.C is that they are too big for the river they are on, with dams across the river and big transmission lines - typical of the greed and ignorance that has been allowed to thrive under the B.C Liberal regime (another example are casinos).

Other countries have traditionally used river water for centuries to power water mills (to make flour, oil etc.)

Their national or regional hydroelectric provider has encouraged owners of isolated homes, small factories and even whole small neighbourhoods to recycle abandoned derivation canals or small water intakes formerly used to irrigate fields etc. to power micro-hydroelectric plants that produce electricity that is used nearby.

This is often done in addition to the use of solar panels to provide heat or electricity to the same homes or businesses, especially in Western Europe where in a few years buildings will have to use as little energy as possible and preferably produce it.

In the mid-sixties the science teacher in the college I attended in Eastern Dordogne had just bought an old water mill in the woods. It had no electricity and was too far from a village to bring a line. He bought a small second hand turbine, using the water from the small derivation canal that once powered a big wooden water wheel. We called him "Professor Tournesol" (from the Tintin albums). Today we would call him an IPP.

 

J-L Brussac

Coquitlam

 

In 2011 think renewable green energy

 

The new coat of paint may still be wet on 2011 but that's no reason not to kick the year off with a fresh look at the economic, environmental and social benefits of developing B.C.'s renewable green energy resources.

For starters, developing our renewable energy resources would eliminate the need for B.C. to import electricity from coal-fired generators in Alberta and the U.S.A. and create jobs for the people of B.C. It would also reduce the need for hundreds of polluting diesel generators in remote regions of B.C.

Developing B.C.'s renewable green energy resources would also create economic activity for the people of B.C., especially in rural communities and for B.C.'s First Nations. It would provide much-needed new revenue for B.C. municipalities located near green energy projects.

Exporting clean renewable electricity from B.C. to coal-burning regions of Alberta and the U.S.A. would help reduce GHG emissions in North America and generate revenue for the people of B.C.

This revenue would help to pay for healthcare, education and public infrastructure and could also allow B.C. to reduce its debt load and eventually even eliminate the need for provincial sales tax revenue, as is the case in Alberta.

In short, developing our renewable green energy resources would allow B.C. to once again be a world leader in clean energy with relatively little environmental impact. And by encouraging renewable energy producers to develop our province's renewable green energy resources, BC Hydro ratepayers and B.C. taxpayers would be shielded from the financial risks, which are assumed by the producers.

The reasons to support the development of B.C.'s renewable green energy resources speak for themselves: It's environmentally and economically unacceptable that an energy rich province like B.C. has to import electricity. We need to start tapping into the wealth of run-of-river, wind, biomass and other renewable green energy resources we have right here in this province.

I invite all those interested in this important subject to visit our BCCGE website at www.greenenergybc.ca < http://www.greenenergybc.ca/ > and join the green energy discussion on our BCCGE Livewire Blog < http://greenenergybc.wordpress.com/ >

 

David Field, Co-spokesperson

B.C. Citizens for Green Energy