Municipalities in the Sea to Sky area appear to have reached an agreement to explore the idea of regional transit, following a series of recent discussions.
As a result, the communities of Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton have asked a staff committee to do research into how to best fund a regional transit system.
It would seem to be a small but significant movement towards acquiring public transportation that would link the three communities, an idea that has been discussed heavily over the years.
“I think everyone’s on the same page now,” said Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman.
“Everyone’s going, ‘OK, this is a possibility, we kind of have a bit of a path on what we need to do.’”
Heintzman said it’s taken awhile to get all municipalities on board with the idea at the same time, but she’s hopeful that things could be moving in the right direction.
While the agreement is no guarantee that transit will be happening, it’s hoped that it will be a first step in determining a blueprint for a possible way to sustainably fund regional transportation.
One idea that may be explored is the implementation of a motor fuel tax, which Heintzman said the province has appeared to be willing to consider.
Also being discussed is the idea of creating a governing authority of some sort to oversee regional transit in the area.
