We cannot solve the issue with current patterns of thinking. It would take as a pre-requisite that a transit company would have to have significant collaborative involvement in the generation of the OCP and clearly this is not happening… or in the terms of reference for either BCT or the Consultant working on the OCP.
We are going to need big new ideas to make any of this work, Ideas such as moving all 65,000 of us in the Comox Valley into about 1200 acres, about the size of the Town of Comox or the core of Courtenay. Living in more dense development with well planned green spaces, cycle routes and pedestrian streets, functional transit would be easy to design and cost effective to operate. Walking and cycling would dominate and transit would be frequent and easily accessible to all, probably free of charge as well.
Is this doable? Is this insanity? Most would probably say I was crazy, you can’t move everybody. But you could post this as the official community plan and regional growth strategy and then support and encourage future development activity that fit within the plan, restricting and placing disincentive on anything outside of this plan. Over time it could happen, likely within the time frames that our drafted plans are targeting.
I am currently working on just such a plan vision and will share with the world as it evolves. Anyone want to help?