B.C. transportation scores poorly in national survey
David Hogben, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
B.C. is a terrible place to commute or travel on the highways, an examination of Canada's transportation system has concluded.
Only Newfoundland scored worse overall than B.C. in the study completed on behalf of the Fraser Institute. But B.C. ranked last in Canada for passenger transportation, due to its high levels of congestion, long commuting times, high accident rates and the cost of its road system.
Not only did the study reveal that B.C. has unusually high fatality rates on its highways, but the economic implications are also discouraging, said David Hartgen, who conducted the study.
B.C. ranked last in Canada for passenger transportation, due to its high levels of congestion, long commuting times, high accident rates and the cost of its road system.
(Hartgen is professor emeritus of transportation studies at the University of North Carolina.)
"Businesses and families make decisions every day about where they are going to locate. It's important if you are setting up a business or choosing a place to live in this world that you have this information," Hartgen said.
B.C. scored particularly poorly on highway safety, urban transit costs and commuting times.
(Ontario was ranked first overall of all 10 provinces.)
Hartgen said some findings were particularly disturbing.
"When your fatal accident rate is 30 or 40 per cent higher than the national average I think that is cause for some concern," Hartgen said.
The study did not attempt to discern the reasons behind the findings.
B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said the report seemed accurate, but was obviously dated as its most recent data was from 2005.
"There had been no significant investment in transportation infrastructure in 15 years," Falcon said.
"I think their point is well taken: B.C. was really behind the times in terms of transportation investment."
But Falcon said the Liberals have turned things around with significant transportation investments such as the Sea to Sky Highway, the Golden Ears Bridge, major rapid-transit developments between downtown and the airport and out to the northeast region of Metro Vancouver.
He described the infrastructure programs by the Liberal government in recent years as "the largest transportation spending program in the history of B.C., by a long shot."
Major points of the report include:
- B.C. had by far the greatest number of fatal truck collisions per million tonnes of freight. B.C.'s rate was more than two times the national average,
- B.C. also had the highest rate of highway traffic fatalities (based on number of kilometres travelled) of all the provinces. The rate was 1.3 times the national average.
- B.C. scored third worst in the amount of time spent commuting between home and the workplace, with the average round trip being 60 minutes. Ontario scored worst at 68 minutes and Quebec was second worst at 63 minutes.
- B.C. also scored worst in the average operating cost (not fare price) per urban transit trip at $2.06 per trip.
- B.C., however, scored well with marine transportation. It had the lowest ratio of all provinces in accidents suffered per million customers in ferry traffic (excluding Alberta and Saskatchewan).
- B.C. also had the lowest spending of federal and provincial governments relative to consumers for marine traffic.
dhogben@vancouversun.com
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