The review panels report on B.C. Transit states much that has long been obvious, but it is most welcome nonetheless. Now its time to move ahead on creating a body that has the authority, the scope and the resources to create and implement an effective regional transportation strategy.B.C. Transit is the Crown agency responsible for public transit throughout the province, except for Greater Vancouver. Mayors and other elected officials have long complained that the provincial body was out of touch with local issues, and that decisions were being made without consulting the communities involved.Last September, about 40 civic politicians took their complaints to Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom. In March, he appointed an independent review panel to study the partnership between municipalities and B.C. Transit. This week, the panel released its report, which includes 18 recommendations focused mainly on improving the relationship between the transit body and local governments.Those recommendations include increasing B.C. Transit board membership to nine from its current seven, allowing municipalities to appoint board members and providing more local control over transit decisions.The panel was asked to look specifically at the Victoria Regional Transit Commission. It is the only regional commission in the province, but its members are appointed by the provincial government. The commission was left without a quorum after the November 2011 municipal elections, and it took the province until March to fill the four vacancies.The panel put forward three options for transit in the Greater Victoria area. The first is to maintain the status quo, not likely to receive any support. The other two are governance by the commission with board members appointed by local governments, or putting transit under the umbrella of the Capital Regional District. Opinion is divided. CRD board members voted unanimously last year to endorse local control for transit, and the mayors of Saanich and Victoria have long advocated that the district take over transit, but Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins has opposed a CRD takeover, citing concerns about limited representation from the Westshore communities.As the report from the review panel points out, the CRD has multiple responsibilities while the beefed-up commission would focus only on transit. The commission has transit experience; the CRD would have to develop that expertise.Nevertheless, handing transit over to the CRD appears to be the best approach. What services should be provided or administered regionally could be endlessly debated, but transit is a no-brainer all municipalities are linked by streets and highways. Traffic knows no boundaries. Therefore, the discussion should go beyond transit to include all transportation. One of the points in favour of CRD governance listed in the report states: Responsibility for transit planning and regional planning would be hosted within the same organization, which should result in a more integrated approach to regional planning.The province needs to ensure the region would not be shortchanged on resources in the transition. The CRD should tap into the expertise that now lies with the transit commission, and should maintain a close relationship with B.C. Transit.Whatever form the changes take, theres no question local autonomy is key. Decisions made on the front lines are more likely to be effective and far-seeing than those made in distant corporate headquarters.
