Transportation
infrastructure: whether it be the widening of highways, the building of better
bus facilities, or construction of bike paths can have a significant impact on
the environment. At a micro level, new
or expanded highways can increase run off, change drainage patterns, or damage
important habitat. But transportation
infrastructure can also shapes urban growth patterns, either increasing the
likelihood of urban sprawl and increased reliance on cars, or encouraging use
of buses, reducing air pollution, reducing reliance on cars and reducing the
need for more roads in the future.
Investments in transit, roads and rapid transit effect urban development
for decades or even centuries.
Ideally transportation
planning should involve an integration of transportation, land use, watershed
management and air quality goals.
Transportation planning
is conducted by a number of different agencies:
·
Provincial
Government. The provincial Ministry
of Transportation controls most major highways and is plans for highway
development, as well as ferries. The
1995 document Going Places is the province’s overall transportation plan. The
province also develops corridor plans (for instance, planning for upgrading of
the TransCanada Highway between Cache Creek and Alberta), and works with
regional districts to develop regional plans.
·
Translink. In
Greater Vancouver, Translink (created under the Greater Vancouver
Transportation Authority Act) operates transit, ensures that a network of
major municipal roads are developed according to a regional plan, and works to
shift transportation demand through measures such as parking taxes and car
pooling.
·
Regional
Districts. Regional districts do not normally have any
direct responsibility for transportation, but they facilitate planning among
municipalities and transportation planning is one aspect of Regional Growth Strategies. Municipal transportation commitments that are included in the
regional context statements of Official Community Plans
have more legal weight, and are harder to change that commitments that are not
included in official community plans, are included in other parts of the
official community plan, or are
included in regional growth strategies only.
·
Municipalities. Municipalities own and regulate most of the roads within their territory.
Outside of Greater Vancouver and Victoria, they are also often responsible for
transit. Municipalities can implement
transportation planning through zoning (making sure land uses match with
transportation plans); creation of high occupancy vehicle lanes; traffic
calming (often including greenways that support urban biodiversity); transit
priority and support measures (bus shelters, traffic lights that give priority
to buses, bus only lanes etc.); and parking management (restricting parking
supply and price to encourage use of transit).
Public Participation in Transportation Planning
Public means of
participating in decisions regarding transportation will vary according to the
type of decision. For municipalities, there are specific requirements
associated with decisions involving Capital expenditures, changes to Official Community Plans. Regional Districts have specific requirements tied to Regional Growth Strategies, and Translink is required to
consult on strategic plans. There are
no legal requirements for public involvement in Ministry of Transportation
planning and decision-making, and consultation tends to be limited to
consultations with local governments.
Related Guide Pages:
·
Implementation
of Local Government Plans
·
Land
Use Zoning
·
Local
Government Planning
·
Official
Community Plans
·
Regional
and Municipal Planning
·
Regional Growth
Strategies
For more information about Transportation
Planning:
·
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation
website.
·
City of Vancouver, Transportation
Plan: 1997 Report.
·
Translink –
The transit authority for Greater Vancouver.
·
Victoria Transportation
Policy Institute
·
West Coast Environmental Law’s Smart Growth Guide to Local
Government Law and Advocacy, especially Chapter 3, Moving Toward
Sustainable Transportation.
