The Cowichan Valley needs better public transit — a train running on the E&N corridor and more frequent bus service.
This editorial will discuss that last one — bus service.
It's always a bit of a chicken or the egg scenario. Which comes first?
To get people to use the buses you need to have them run relatively frequently and stop close to people's homes. To have viable bus routes you need people to use them.
So it's a bit of a balancing act: providing enough service to grow ridership.
We were heartened to hear at an August Cowichan Valley Regional District meeting that staff have a multi-year plan to expand the service. The catch, of course, is that to make the plan a reality they need funding from BC Transit.
One of the routes is in luck. The Cowichan to Nanaimo Express will see return trips added for Friday evenings and a trip added to Saturday morning and Saturday evening, according to a BC Transit announcement. Still no funding for Sunday trips, however.
Other expansion suggestions from the CVRD include a direct run to the Vancouver Island University campus in Nanaimo, Sunday service and midday trips on the Cowichan Victoria Express, Saturday service on the Lake Cowichan Express and Route 5 (Eagle Heights), and an added weekday trip to Route 6 (Crofton/Chemainus).
Better service is only going to become more important as the years go by and the population ages. Many seniors either no longer want to drive or can't, and they need to still be able to get out and about in their own communities and beyond.
On the other end of the spectrum there are plenty of young people who want to get around to see friends and participate in a variety of activities. They may be too young to drive or not have their own car, and they also deserve the chance to be independent that public transit can give them. It sure beats hitchhiking.
Likewise, many people with disabilities can expand their horizons and independence with public transit.
Then there are the tourists who would love to be able to see our beautiful communities using public transit.
It is also unreasonable (and undesirable) to force everyone to own their own vehicle. Motor vehicles are expensive and not everyone can shoulder that expense, nor should they have to.
As for dedicated drivers? Think about it this way: if more people are taking public transit there's less competition for parking, less traffic and gridlock, and just an all around better driving experience. So public transit is good for you, too.
