Park and ride is a good solution

Re: “Bus, parking combo pitched to ease crunch downtown,” March 15. I applaud the Downtown Victoria Business Association for its proposal for development of more parking spaces outside the downtown core, which I hope will encourage the use of bus travel into the city — and free up parking spaces in downtown parkades.

As I listen to the City of Victoria lament its current parking woes, I often wonder why the city isn’t proactively looking to develop other park and rides to encourage motorists to park their vehicles and take the bus downtown. Expanding the Helmcken park and ride would be a start.

In addition, expanding the park and ride in Colwood would benefit the West Shore, get more people out of their cars and encourage the use of bus travel into the downtown core.

The current park and ride in Colwood is great for cyclists accessing the Galloping Goose Trail, but if you’re looking to jump on a bus, not as easy. Motorists have to walk back toward Colwood, cross the Old Island Highway and walk to the closest bus shelter. I did it once — never again.

If the Capital Regional District is unable to develop a regional transportation strategy, and municipalities are unwilling to look past their own fiefdoms to create crossmunicipal transportation solutions, we can expect more gridlock throughout the region, at-capacity City of Victoria parkades and more congestion in the downtown core. If recent history is any indication, we will soon be asking the provincial government for help. Derek Lowe Shawnigan Lake