Abstract Manager

The District of Saanich has a vision to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve road safety, rapidly increase housing options, and grow our local economy. Achieving success in these areas will rely on improving public transit to become a fast and reliable travel choice for more people. The proposed presentation will describe the District of Saanich’s successful efforts to combine land-use planning with engineering traffic modelling to create a bold vision for a major corridor to support sustainable development.

Transit in Saanich is planned and operated by BC Transit. Their vision to be a leader of integrated transportation solutions connecting people and communities to a more sustainable future relies on implementing several rapid transit routes by 2036. The Transit Future Plan (2011) identified a need for a major transit exchange in the Uptown Centre of Saanich and priority corridors for rapid transit connecting Downtown to the Westshore, Saanich Peninsula and University of Victoria. The Uptown-Douglas Corridor Plan (2022) formalizes the objectives of a landmark multi-modal transit hub as well as transit supportive land uses in proximity to the hub.

In support of the rapid transit route development Saanich Engineering partnered with BC Transit and McElhanney Ltd. to create the Rapidbus Implementation Plan (2024) for the McKenzie corridor. The implementation plan studied existing conditions, developed a long-term vision and identified short-term priorities to realize significant travel time savings for transit. Bus stop spacings were examined and rapid bus stop locations identified to support the Planning department’s land-use proposals. A traffic model was developed in Vissim and several scenarios were evaluated. Modelling by the consultant team indicates that when fully implemented the scheme will see 20% time savings for transit in the AM Peak and 33% time savings in the PM Peak compared with the business as usual or do nothing scenario.

The vision for McKenzie Ave. sees curb lanes restricted to transit and right-turning vehicles only with protected cycling lanes, double rows of trees and generous sidewalks connecting to new developments. The implementation plan allows for sequencing of the improvements. Initial focus areas will be to maximize benefits for transit and fill in gaps to the cycling network.

The McKenzie Ave. Rapidbus Corridor Study is an example of Local Government collaborating with a Transit Agency using the services of a consultant team to create a vision and implementation plan.