Public Transit Symposium

The UVSS, GSS and CCSS
PUBLIC TRANSIT SYMPOSIUM
Wednesday November 7^th, 2007
2pm
UVSS Student Union Building, Michel Pujol Room

As a part of Transit Day events, the University of Victoria Students’ Society, UVic Graduate Students’ Society and Camosun College Student Society are hosting a symposium on public transit. A diverse group of speakers will present thought-provoking ideas on issues surrounding the delivery of local public transit.

Speakers:

• Adam Giambrone Toronto Transit Commission (Chair), Toronto City Councilor
• Mike Davis Manager of Planning and Scheduling, Victoria Regional Transit System
• Neil Connelly Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability, UVic
• Rob Fleming MLA, Victoria-Hillside
• Sean Miller Common Energy, Transportation Working Group

If you ride the bus and want to know more about how the local transit system works and what can be done to improve it, come to this symposium, hear the issues and join the discussion.

Our Demands

Public transit service in the Greater Victoria area is unable to meet the needs of local riders. Why? BC Transit is underfunded. As such, it currently lacks the financial resources necessary to meet the increasing demands being placed on our public transit system.

As a part of the Canadian Federation of Students’ ‘WE RIDE’ campaign, the University of Victoria Students’ Society and Camosun College Students’ Society, in partnership with other local organizations, are campaigning for fast, accessible, and affordable public transit to and from UVic and Camosun – and in the Greater Victoria area as a whole.

Our demands:

More trips and routes to the Western Communities.
More early morning and late-night trips.
More express routes.
More linkages between campuses.

The benefits of these improvements are obvious: we will be able to get to school or work on time, wait less at our stops and get where we need to go fast; we will have a safe way home at night after working late or having fun; and people will have more of an incentive to leave their cars at home thereby reducing emissions and traffic congestion.

In order for these demands to be realized, BC Transit needs more money. We are lobbying the provincial government for a 2 cent increase in the British Columbia Transit Tax. This tax is dedicated to funding BC Transit in the Victoria Regional Transit Service Area – an area which includes all local municipalities. It is high time for such a reasonable request as this tax has not seen an increase in over 8 years. The modest increase that we are lobbying for would show immediate benefits to local riders and would help to deliver the kind of public transit service that we need – and deserve.