Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Performance Measures

The Ministry of Transportation has the following goals:

• Reduction of greenhouse gas for the transportation sector;
• Key transportation infrastructure is improved to drive economic growth and trade;
• British Columbia is provided with a safe and reliable highway system;
• British Columbia’s transportation industries become more globally competitive; and
• Excellent customer service.

Goal 1: Reduction of greenhouse gas for the transportation sector

Objective 1.1: Increase use of transit, cycling and other alternative modes of personal transportation

Strategies

• Build rapid transit backbone and supportive rapid and frequent bus service to create rider options;
• Invest in public transit infrastructure;
• Improve HOV and transit priority measures;
• Encourage increased land use density around transit stations and along transit corridors through policy and funding agreements; and
• Invest in an integrated cycling and walking network.

Performance Measure 1: Transit ridership

Discussion

Transit ridership, the number of rides taken by people using public transit over a set period of time, is a measure that allows the Province to monitor the success of transit investments over time. The targets above are combined forecasts from BC Transit and TransLink. In Metro Vancouver the Canada Line is scheduled for completion late in 2009, making the first full year of operation 2010. Overall, more than 75 per cent of the provincial ridership occurs in Metro Vancouver.

Objective 1.2: Improve supply chain efficiency for the movement of goods

Strategies

• Reduce ship wait times in harbour;
• Reduce ship idling through port electrification;
• Reduce truck idling minimizing wait times and empty kilometres travelled;
• Build rail grade separations; and
• Freeing up road capacity for goods movement through reducing the use of single occupant vehicles.

Objective 1.3: Reduce greenhouse gases through the adoption of new technologies

Strategies

• Support the development of the hydrogen highway;
• Put into operation the world’s first fleet of hydrogen-powered buses;
• Electrify truck stops to reduce idling;
• Increase the use of weigh-in-motion technology to reduce the need for trucks to stop and idle at inspection stations (formerly known as weigh scales); and
• Implement intelligent traffic control systems to reduce idling and create time advantages for transit.

Goal 2: Key transportation infrastructure is improved to drive economic growth and trade

Objective 2.1: Improved mobility servicing major economic gateways

Strategies

• Improve mobility and reliability and reduce bottlenecks on major urban and rural trade corridors using partnership cost-sharing where feasible;
• Reduce congestion at inspection stations by relocating and/or redesigning them, and by using intelligent transportation systems to process truck traffic more efficiently; and
• Reduce congestion at Canada/USA border crossings through the use of intelligent transportation systems initiatives.

Objective 2.2: Identify and select priority improvement projects

Strategies

• Identify key safety and mobility improvements to enhance the movement of goods;
• Develop options for improvements;
• Evaluate and prioritize options;
• Develop business cases for individual projects; and
• Amalgamate into integrated investment strategy.

Objective 2.3: Available provincial investment dollars are used as effectively as possible

Strategies

• Complete projects on budget and on time;
• Develop public-private partnerships in consultation with Partnerships BC, where appropriate;
• Capture value from surplus lands to fund transportation improvements; and
• Secure federal funding for transportation projects in British Columbia.

Performance Measure 2: Project performance

Discussion

The constant targets represent the Ministry’s ability to maintain a high level of achievement even with the challenges of fluctuating costs of materials and escalating labour costs.

Goal 3: British Columbia is provided with a safe and reliable highway system

Objective 3.1: Contractors maintain the provincial highway system to a high standard

Strategy

Administer the highway maintenance contracts and assess, through the Contractor Assessment Program, how well the contractors are delivering their services.

Performance Measure 3: Contractor assessment

Discussion

Ratings measure whether the contractors exceed contract requirements based on the results of local and regional assessments and road user satisfaction ratings. Contractors that exceed basic requirements are entitled to a bonus. A rating between 85 and 90 per cent warrants a 1 per cent bonus, between 90 and 95 per cent warrants a 1.5 per cent bonus, and above 95 per cent warrants a 2 per cent bonus. The performance measure is a provincial average of the combined summer and winter ratings for all 28 contractors in the province. Effective in the winter of 2006/07, all contractors are assessed using the Contractor Assessment Program.

The targets remain at a constant level of 92.5 per cent which reflects a level of effort significantly above the required basic maintenance contract service levels and amongst the highest levels across Canada. The ability to achieve a rating at this level is influenced by many factors including the extent and severity of winter as well as how a contractor plans and executes their work in a proactive manner.

Objective 3.2: The main highway system is rehabilitated on a lowest life-cycle cost basis

Strategies

• Maintain the current condition of the main highway system (roads and structures) and mitigate the onset of deterioration in ways that provide the “least cost over the life-cycle” of the infrastructure; and
• Systematically assess the condition of the main highways to determine which needs should take priority in the annual resurfacing and structure rehabilitation and replacement programs.

Objective 3.3: Improved road access for resource industries and rural residents

Strategies

• Strategically invest in roadway rehabilitation and improvements on the roads serving industry and rural residents as follows:
• Interior and Rural Side Roads Program – Invest $55 million in 2008/09, and $50 million per annum for 2009/10 and 2010/11;
• Heartlands Oil and Gas Road Rehabilitation Strategy – Invest $42 million in 2008/09; and
• Support British Columbia’s Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan, through the strategic investment of $30 million per annum in 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11.

Objective 3.4: Improved highway safety and reliability

Strategies

• Monitor highway safety and improve high-risk locations in consultation with local and regional authorities and stakeholders;
• Maximize highway safety and reliability through both safety-focused enhancements and low-cost improvements, such as signs, lighting, and lane markings; and
• Work with safety partners such as the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the RCMP, and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to identify areas for safety improvements.

Performance Measure 4: Highway safety

Discussion

The table displays the new baseline and targets compiled from 19 new projects as most original projects have been completed with crash reductions well exceeding the targets. This substantial crash reduction was reported in the 2006/07 Annual Service Plan Report.

A comparison is made between baseline measures prior to safety improvements and the measured results after these safety improvements. A minimum of three years (preferably five years) of crash data is required after the completion of a project in order to determine a trend as to how well the project has improved safety. For adequacy of statistical analysis, a sampling of 19 projects across the province is used. Data on the safety performance of these projects will be aggregated and reported on an annual basis.

The estimations for the projected annual reduction targets are based on project specific improvements and anticipated project completion dates.

Objective 3.5: Effective road safety enforcement, education and programs for the commercial transport industry

Strategies

• Establish and enforce regulations to enhance vehicle safety in British Columbia;
• Work with other jurisdictions to co-ordinate and harmonize commercial transport and vehicle safety standards;
• Introduce systems improvements to enhance the quality and timeliness of commercial vehicle safety data for law enforcement; and
• Implement technologies to enhance safety and improve efficiency for the commercial transport industry.

Goal 4: British Columbia’s transportation industries become more globally competitive

Objective 4.1: Developing Canada’s Pacific Gateway

Strategies

• Implement the Pacific Gateway Action Plan;
• Work closely with other levels of government and stakeholders to achieve the objectives of the British Columbia Ports Strategy; and
• Provide leadership through the Pacific Gateway Executive Committee.

Performance Measure 5: Container traffic growth

Discussion

The growth targets reflected are consistent with Canada’s Pacific Gateway Strategy forecast demand in container traffic for the noted years.

Growth in container volumes is based on traffic statistics reported annually by British Columbia’s key trading ports. This growth is driven by market demand but influenced by a multitude of factors such as provision of appropriate infrastructure, creation of sufficient capacity to accommodate demand, a supportive policy environment for trade and investment, and sound security measures. The Ministry has a role to play in creating a competitive industry environment with the federal government through policy and legislation which supports industry investment and decisions.

Through Canada’s Pacific Gateway Strategy, the Ministry also facilitates communication, coordination and information-sharing across the transportation supply chain. The Ministry has direct responsibility for implementing road and bridge improvements such as the Gateway Program, the Border Infrastructure Program, and the Kicking Horse Canyon Project, which are integral components of the transportation supply chain.

Goal 5: Excellent customer service

Objective 5.1: Continue to improve service levels to the British Columbia business community

Strategies

• Participate in cross government integration of permitting;
• Streamlined application and review processes for rural sub-divisions; and
• Implement online application and tracking tools to support reduced turn-around times.

Objective 5.2: Excellent customer service is provided to all British Columbians

Strategies Continuous improvement of Ministry services

• Undertake annual surveys and focus group sessions to measure general highway users and stakeholder groups’ satisfaction with Ministry services;
• Analyze feedback to develop and implement action plans based on public priorities;
• Develop and utilize leading technology to communicate current highway information to the public through systems such as Drive BC, Ministry web cams, and changeable message signs — toll-free services; and
• The Ministry, in partnership with its maintenance and construction contractors, will engage highway users at public information sessions, regarding highway maintenance and improvement projects.

Performance Measure 6: Customer service

Discussion

The Ministry annually surveys key stakeholders such as: commercial highway operators, developers, emergency services, resource industry, highway construction and maintenance companies, business groups, First Nations, and general highway users.

The Ministry uses the survey results to identify areas and processes to improve service delivery. The constant targets for 2009/10 onwards represent the Ministry’s ability to consistently deliver good customer service. Currently, Ministry results and targets exceed the ratings of other provincial governments, specific to transportation-related services.