Plans for more dedicated bus lanes through downtown Victoria are facing pushback from two major business organizations, which want the region to take another look at how road space is being used. The Downtown Victoria Business Association and Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce are asking the Victoria Regional Transit Commission to pause further expansion while it reviews whether a transportation plan developed in 2011 still reflects how people live, work and travel across Greater Victoria. The groups also want a newly created bus-only lane between Discovery Street and Colwood converted to a high-occupancy vehicle lane, allowing carpools to use it while buses continue to receive priority. They say bus stop insets could be added where necessary. Jeff Bray, CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, said the request is not about opposing public transit. “We support better transit,” Bray told CTV News. “We also need to make sure transportation decisions at the regional level and the local level support access for employees, customers and the businesses that depend on the efficient movement of goods and services.” The business groups say the assumptions behind the regional transportation plan have changed significantly since it was created. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped commuting and office occupancy, while employment growth is also occurring outside downtown Victoria. Bray pointed to plans for thousands of additional workers at CFB Esquimalt as one reason he believes the region should reconsider where transportation investments are needed most. “We just think by reducing the road capacity by 50 per cent for a one per cent, maybe, increase in bus traffic, well, it really negatively impacts downtown,” he said. The organizations are also concerned about the effect of congestion on people who need to reach downtown by vehicle. That includes emergency responders, delivery drivers, tradespeople, taxis and service providers whose work can be difficult to shift to another time or mode. Bray said businesses are hearing from customers, clients and patients who are frustrated by parking, traffic and navigating changes to the downtown road network. “We need people from View Royal. We need people from Central Saanich,” he said. “If they stop coming downtown, this downtown is going to look very different.” The groups say their position is not a call to abandon transit improvements. They want current travel data and changing employment patterns considered before additional general traffic lanes are converted. The proposed downtown changes would reduce Douglas Street to one general traffic lane in each direction along the affected section, according to the business organizations. “Our concern is with the loss of yet another vehicle lane into downtown Victoria,” John Wilson, CEO, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. They argue that decision needs to be weighed against the need to keep downtown accessible for employees, customers and commercial traffic. The Victoria Regional Transit Commission is currently reviewing the regional transportation plan. The business groups say that review provides an opportunity to determine whether recommendations developed more than a decade ago still fit the region’s transportation needs. The debate reflects a broader challenge for Greater Victoria: improving transit speed and reliability while maintaining access for people and businesses that continue to rely on the road network. For the business groups, the immediate request is for the commission to pause, examine current evidence and decide whether further downtown bus lane expansion remains appropriate.
