The Sea to Sky Corridor could be looking at more interconnected public transit down the road, including a route between Squamish and Metro Vancouver.
The idea, though, is only in its infancy.
“It’s too early to say that we’ve made any decisions,” SLRD board chair Jack Crompton told The Squamish Chief.
At the regular July board meeting, the SLRD considered a plan to look at expanding systems and integrating service throughout the area. The first step is a memorandum of understanding with BC Transit for a Sea to Sky Transit corridor study.
The idea is to look at the possibility of expanding transit service in the region and ways it might connect the different communities, though at this early stage there is no set agenda in terms of what the SLRD and BC Transit are considering.
“Everything’s on the table at this point,” Crompton said. “We want to make evidence-based decisions.”
A future plan was completed earlier this year, with the transit study as one of the key objectives. A key goal is to look for ways to improve transit service and to explore the idea of expansion and improvement of regional and interregional service.
The project is being conducted not only in conjunction with BC Transit, but local governments within the SLRD and regional First Nations.
A working group met in June to consider the terms of reference. It consists of up to two members from BC Transit, the SLRD, the District of Squamish, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Village of Pemberton, the Lil’wat Nation and Squamish Nation.
“We need to work with the local partners to make sure it’s feasible,” said Jonathan Dyck, BC Transit’s communications manager. “It’s important to get that local take on it.”
The regional district expects the study process to be complete by spring 2017.
At this point, the process will not mean any service changes in the near future, Dyck said, adding the process is about looking at the long-term transit needs of the area.
“We look at feasibility and sustainability. We want to take this as an exploratory step.”
There is also a suggestion of developing a governance structure that would weigh the benefits and risks associated with any expansion to regional or interregional service.
“That’s part of the discussions,” Dyck said.
The Sea to Sky Future Transit Plan, he added, would look at transit over the next 25 years.
