Although BC Transit will be returning Route 11 back to its original course in the new year, Gorge-Tillicum residents still have concerns.
Prior to June 2022, it was a popular route for the Gorge-Tillicum community to use but was changed due to a long period of construction. In response to community backlash, BC Transit announced on Oct. 13 it will be restoring Route 11 to its original course on Jan. 8, 2024.
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The Gorge-Tillicum Community Association held a meeting Tuesday (Oct. 24) to address some of the remaining concerns.
Resident Aurora Van Buren attended the meeting to understand what the changes are before they’re implemented and how to work with BC Transit moving forward. One of her biggest concerns is frequency.
“We’re not having the regular service that was there in 2021, it’s still a reduced service,” she said. “So being able to have reliable transit going downtown into that area is a concern going forward.”
At the meeting, BC Transit confirmed Route 11 is currently running every 17 minutes during peak hours, but when the changes are made in January, it will be every 20 minutes at peak times.
“I do think there is a lot of money and time going into infrastructure to encourage people to take buses, but when you have fewer options in how easy you can ride, then it’s conflicting messages. So you’ve got infrastructure being made for buses, but then fewer times when the buses come through,” Van Buren said.
Saanich Coun. Mena Westhaver said “we want people to be using the bus and people are voicing if the bus isn’t reliable they won’t take it.”
Westhaver also attended Tuesday night’s meeting and had a few concerns of her own. “It’s definitely the accessibility for people to be able to access BC Transit on the frequency that they had before the construction was done. So it’s how can we get their best support so that we can get the BC Transit frequency back to where they’re feeling like they have access, reliability, the frequency, and really safety around it.”
Representing BC Transit at the meeting and answering questions was senior transit planner Levi Megenbir. “The one thing that we’ve heard loud and clear from the community is really the importance of Route 11 moving forward … We’re eager to learn more from the community, not just this particular Gorge community association, but also riders across the system and around the steps we can take moving forward.”
BC Transit is launching a public survey Oct. 30 about transit in this Saanich community and is encouraging feedback from residents. It can be found online at bctransit.com/victoria.
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