B.C. Transit Open House coming to Dockyard

A refurbished BC Transit bus like this one will welcome visitors for an Oct. 17 Open House in Dockyard. The event will be used by the transit authority to build its 25-year transit plan. Photo Credit: BC Transit

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

BC Transit wants CFB Esquimalt employees to have a say in shaping the future of transit in their neighbourhood. 

Next week, BC Transit is setting up a Transit Future Open House at Dockyard’s main gate on Wednesday Oct. 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. as part of their ongoing public consultation process.

“We want to hear from military and civilian employees from the base to find out how the transit system is working for them and if there are any improvements that can be made to transit routes travelling through Esquimalt and View Royal,” explains Lindsay Taylor, a BC Transit Senior Planner. “CFB Esquimalt is one of our key community stakeholders and we are excited to work with them to improve transit service in the area.”

As a way to attract attention at the base, BC Transit is bringing their transit future bus; a 40-foot bus that has been retrofitted to use as an open house space.

Nine Local Area Transit Plans are being developed to highlight transit service and infrastructure investment priorities over a five to seven-year timeframe within specific areas of the Victoria region. This is part of BC Transit’s larger transit plan that envisions what a community’s transit network should look like 25 years from now.

Some initiatives have already been implemented such as new downtown terminal space; bus lanes on selected downtown streets; construction of a West Shore terminal at West Hills that connects to Dockyard through Route 46 during peak hours; and the expansion of the University of Victoria terminal.

For more information about the consultation process and the transit plan visit their website at www.Bctransit.com/Victoria/transit-future.