On October 20, 2018, municipalities across British Columbia will hold local government elections. This includes the 13 municipalities in the Greater Victoria Area, which will hold elections for local government officials, including Mayor and Council.
Walk On, Victoria is asking our community to consider where candidates stand on pedestrian issues when making an informed decision on Election Day.
When thinking about walkability in Greater Victoria, there are a number of ways to approach the issue. To really focus municipal candidates on the issue, we have come up with a two-part question.
Do you support making walking safer and more enjoyable in your municipality?
What specific policies, projects and expenditures would you support in the next four years to make walking safer and more pleasant in your municipality?
There are a number of events and debates happening in the area leading up to the election on October 20. We encourage our members to get out to these events and ask the candidates these questions. Or, next time you see your local candidate in your neighbourhood, take the opportunity to engage with them about walkability.
Victorians for Transportation Choice
Walk On, Victoria recently joined up with a collection of like-minded groups who work for better transportation solutions for all, to launch Victorians for Transportation Choice (VTC).
VTC launched a candidate questionnaire for the October 20th municipal elections. The VTC hopes to inform the voting public about candidates’ ideas and platforms on a range of sustainable transportation questions.
We encourage you to visit www.transportchoicevic.ca, where you can view the full questionnaire and candidate answers. We hope this will help inform you of where the candidates stand on pedestrian issues, as well as transportation issues more broadly.
“Victorians for Transportation Choice represents people in the greater Victoria area who want their transportation options to be safe, convenient and effective, while minimizing harm such as carbon pollution that drives climate change,” said Tom Hackney, VTC spokesperson and Victoria Chapter Co-Chair of the BC Sustainable Energy Association. “Many people in greater Victoria want to be part of a positive revolution in transportation, and we want our municipal governments to lead in building solutions.”
The VTC’s member groups — Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition; Greater Victoria Placemaking Network; British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association; Walk On, Victoria; Island Transformations Organization and Better Transit Alliance of Greater Victoria — want our communities to shift to more transit, walking and biking, as a means to meet transportation needs while improving livability, while reducing carbon pollution and other harm. As the Victoria Transit Future Plan says, “Major investments in expanding the road network to accommodate the private automobile do not align with local, regional and provincial planning aspirations.” The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate change commits provincial and federal governments to shift spending from higher to lower emitting types of transportation.
The full questionnaire is available at www.transportchoicevic.ca and candidates answers will be available for the general voting public. All candidates are invited to fill out the survey. VTC will not be endorsing any candidates.
Finally, remember to get out there and VOTE on October 20!