Re: Feds need to fund E&N fast, Guest Comment, March 16, 2012.
I applaud the West Shore Chamber of Commerce’s effort to see the E&N restored to allow a VIA rail daily service from West Shore to Victoria and back.
This is good in the very near term. But this service alone will not do much to ease traffic congestion in the longer term.
Other transportation solutions will be needed, amongst which should be a more frequent light rail service from the West Shore running on an upgraded E&N corridor.
This and other transportation solutions need to be managed by a Capital Regional District-based regional transportation authority, as Scott Pass, the author of the chamber’s West Shore E&N-LRT study argues.
The last thing we need is municipalities on their own trying to run transportation in the region.
As the Pass study suggests, there are already too many players in this field getting in each other’s way.
A transportation authority is needed to look at the big picture in this region and seek funding based on a fair allocation of costs and with maximum effect in reducing gridlock.
John Olson
Colwood