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1. Do you support re-aligning municipal and regional transportation plans and investments to meet the provincial government’s CleanBC target to “reduce distances travelled in light-duty vehicles by 2030 compared to 2020?
Yes, but it should not be density-driven development luxury development that supports this. We need means based affordable housing near transportation. Road expansion must decrease, and alternative active transportation AAA routes encouraged.
2. Do you support making the default speed limit 30 km/h for streets without centrelines, as Victoria has already supported?
Yes.
3. Do you commit to budgeting sufficient funds to accelerate the the walking, rolling, cycling and transit portions of Go Victoria?
Yes.
4. Do you support using neighbourhood-wide traffic calming to create low traffic neighbourhoods with much lower traffic volume with quick build materials?
Yes
5. How would you support making walking safer and more enjoyable in Victoria?
Continue the process of AAA paths and connections throughout the city and the CRD, with pedestrian friendly street scapes, Community gardens, pollinator pathways along these streets, and back yard biodiversity are vital to the health and well being of all the city’s inhabitants. Doing this would make pedestrian walks interesting and would make it a flora and fauna filled experience during spring and summer. Existing bus routes often go from A to B, adding bus routes that go in a circuit of the down town or Victoria City itself would make travel by bus with walking more enticing than driving.
6. Do you support building at least 15 km of new all ages and abilities (“AAA”) bike and roll routes throughout Victoria?
Yes, but it has to be done so that infrastructure can be changed when problems arise.
7. Do you support welcoming people who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters to use all ages and abilities (AAA) bike and roll routes?
Yes, but over powered electric vehicles need to be addressed.
8. Do you support rapidly completing 24/7 bus lanes along Douglas Street through downtown Victoria, as well as similar measures along all of BC Transit’s proposed RapidBus routes in Victoria?
Yes, but please refer to my comments in #6.
9. With the court-imposed deadline of March 14, 2023 to keep the Island Rail Corridor intact, how would you support modern rail service for Vancouver Island?
Yes, in theory but that has been debated for 30 years and the results aren’t in as to its affordability given our population. Better solutions might come in from consulting with Friends of Rails to Trails (Fort).
10. Do you support making transit fares more affordable, both by reducing the cost of passes and individual fares and free or discounted passes for youth, seniors, and people living on low incomes?
Yes, this would be essential, but the cost should be borne by the province and federal government.
11. Do you support removing the requirements for off-street vehicle parking from new and infill developments while adding requirements for car share, EV charging, bike and other micromobilty parking, as well as expanding accessible parking?
Only if significant eco-restored green spaces or natural habitat with mature trees are preserved and treated as a public amenity and part of the package. Overdensification should not drive eradication of greenspace. Developments that do do this and reduce private greenspace to 6.5% of the lot should not be allowed to proceed without significant land in-kind amenities or significant monetary amenities for new parkland.
12. How would you activate and bring more people into public spaces within Victoria, including sidewalks, public squares, streets and parks?
This is not my forte, but one idea would to be having events featuring local talent in the arts and culture scene during the daytime vs nighttime hours in small scale venues and large celebratory events, including multi- cultural events.. Hopefully there would be councillors who have this as their forte, but I would also talk with past councillors and mayors who have been involved in helping with previous events of this sort. Community gardens, pollinator pathways along bike paths and or all streets, and back yard biodiversity are vital to the health and well being of all the city’s inhabitants, The Songhees and Esquimalt peoples, as with all First Nations, have a wider concept of home than does the City’s Development Services. Home is conceived as “the relationships which connect a person to all that surrounds them,” including people, plants, animals, insects and the land as a “place to connect with family, community, ancestors and all of creation.” Ecological restoration as part of city planning is a form of respect and reconciliation.
13. Do you support adding substantively more accessible public bathrooms across Victoria?
Yes, absolutely. Public washrooms are needed for all residents, especially seniors and they are common in some countries. In this area, as in rough parts of Glasgow where I emigrated from, there needs to be an attendant to maintain cleanliness and safety, especially if they are to be left open late. One room portable toilets can be quite nice like airplane facilities and can be about the size of old-style phone booths. We still would need an attendant or security monitoring them, especially in downtown locations and bike paths where high use can be predicted.
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