Re: Patience key to solving traffic woes (The Gen Y Lens Jan. 13).

During the last election I visited a seniorB次元官网网址檚 home where one gentleman asked, with a stern look, B次元官网网址淲hat about this Light Rapid Transit?B次元官网网址� I suggested that Victoria was ready for it, but it was not a project we could pay for ourselves.

IB次元官网网址檇 been doing my homework, chasing funding sources and making the case with provincial and federal politicians where I could.

With many voters, the LRT question was an admonishment to be more frugal and let transit users make do with what we have. I was a little surprised with his response: B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been talking about this for years; itB次元官网网址檚 time to get on with it.B次元官网网址�

It brings me back to Kyle SlavinB次元官网网址檚 column. ItB次元官网网址檚 a good piece about behaviour, but I want to make the case that on the planning side, weB次元官网网址檝e been patient long enough.

LRT makes sense and is more compelling every day. WeB次元官网网址檝e identified many choices we will need to make for a sustainable future. Our Regional Growth Strategy, now more than a decade old, enjoys broad political support and it emphasizes walking, cycling and transit.

As far back as the B次元官网网址�90s LRT was proposed as an alternative to highway expansion. The province decided we werenB次元官网网址檛 ready for it then but the choice of corridors and the shape of an ideal system were well thought out.

B.C. Transit, a regional body, went through an exhaustive process of community consultation and planning work and confirmed the alignment and proposed technologies last year. The plan was supported by municipal governments and the CRD, as good a proxy as any for a more formal regional endorsement.

The need to regain some momentum on LRT is critical. As SlavinB次元官网网址檚 column noted, it will take several years to build. All the more reason to complete the business case review and get moving on the B次元官网网址淭eam CRDB次元官网网址� concept I proposed last year to chase the senior government funding necessary to pay for the project.

LRT is not the only solution to our transportation challenges, but it is perhaps the most important. We know that LRT is our best choice to reduce greenhouse gas emissions B次元官网网址� and we are all committed to a provincial climate action program. We know that the highway and Douglas St. alignment best connect people between home and workplace, as well as many other important destinations. We know that the E&N is not a good fit for LRT (though it can work for other commuter services). And we know that we canB次元官网网址檛 keep expanding road capacity B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 just not sustainable.

A regional transportation authority still makes good sense, but weB次元官网网址檝e done a lot of homework on the planning side already. What we need is funding commitments, completion of business plans and a new political commitment to B次元官网网址済et on with it.B次元官网网址� WeB次元官网网址檝e been patient long enough.

John Luton

Executive Director,

Capital Bike and Walk