I donB次元官网网址檛 want to admit it but IB次元官网网址檓 one of those drivers who gets annoyed by a slow cyclist inconveniencing a lane of car traffic.

B次元官网网址淗is inability to bike at a decent speed is adding 30 seconds to my motored commute!B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 an inconsiderate, selfish way to drive, but IB次元官网网址檓 not alone in my actions. Most drivers are egocentric, and itB次元官网网址檚 the reason the transportation issues plaguing the Capital Region are far from resolution.

Sure, weB次元官网网址檒l let our fellow motorists merge into traffic, but if we donB次元官网网址檛 get that thank-you waveB次元官网网址�

During the November municipal election, I chatted with many a politician (and would-be politician) about how they want to make our transportation network B次元官网网址� involving drivers, cyclists, transit-users and pedestrians B次元官网网址� a more fluid system.

Most appreciable solutions revolved around transit improvements: creating bus and high-occupancy vehicle lanes, increasing service levels, providing incentives to take transit, and building that billion-dollar light-rail project from downtown to the West Shore.

But where do we begin? It has to start with planning things out at a region-wide level, because our current system isnB次元官网网址檛 working.

We need a regional transportation authority, likely at the Capiital Regional District, where 13 stakeholder municipalities have a say.

This will give us a comprehensive look at each communityB次元官网网址檚 problems and the best possible solutions, given how the multitude of other issues are set out to be managed simultaneously.

The key to this plan is setting both short- and long-term transportation goals.

If some of the regionB次元官网网址檚 recent infrastructure projects are any indication (a new Blue Bridge; a new Craigflower Bridge; upgrades and widening of the Island Highway), car travel is forecast to be here for a long while.

We canB次元官网网址檛 throw all our attention (and money) at rapid transit and expect the roads to change overnight. A line along the Trans-Canada Highway isnB次元官网网址檛 going to make a noticeable difference in the number of vehicles headed to the University of Victoria on any given day, or how many Gordon Head residents use Shelbourne Street to drive downtown.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 because itB次元官网网址檚 only one part of a very large puzzle that wonB次元官网网址檛 be finished for decades to come.

This puzzle will ultimately include pieces of rapid transit that serve the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, Victoria International Airport, UVic, and CFB Esquimalt. But these pieces are still years away from the planning stages.

The long-range solution also includes more bike lanes and trails, improved sidewalks and pedestrian environments, and probably even better roads for those who will still use their cars.

Short-term goals are more difficult to pinpoint and solve quickly B次元官网网址� but work needs to be done collaboratively so all municipalities are moving in the same direction.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 what a comprehensive transportation plan looks like.

When the complete puzzle is built, most if not all Greater Victorians should be able to get to their destination faster, cheaper or easier than they would if they drove themselves.

But patience, for the time-being, is key.

The current LRT system being floated around wonB次元官网网址檛 even be built until 2019 at the earliest.

Even as a Gordon Head resident who wonB次元官网网址檛 use the first phase of the LRT line, I wonB次元官网网址檛 complain when a gas tax is implemented, or more of my property tax is directed toward financing light rail along the Trans-Canada Highway instead of closer to my home.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 because I know I have to be patient. My neighbourhood will eventually be served by rapid transit, but it has to start somewhere -- and Gordon Head, Esquimalt, Sidney, Oak Bay all drew the short straw.

Until that time I will probably continue to drive to work and IB次元官网网址檒l probably continue to get annoyed by the cyclists hogging my lane.

But I am trying hard to be a more patient road user. Because patience is the only thing thatB次元官网网址檒l help the region get from A to B in the smoothest way possible.

Kyle Slavin is a reporter with

the Saanich B次元官网网址

kslavin@saanichnews.com