Westhill Consulting British Colombia Transit buses

B.C. Transit is rolling out changes that include service to Bear Mountain and Westhills, a summer connection to Thetis Lake, and measures to ease the problem of “pass-ups” — people left behind due to crowded buses.

Construction also begins next week on bus and bike priority lanes on Douglas Street.

Langford Mayor Stew Young has been calling for B.C. Transit to add a Bear Mountain bus. He applauded the Victoria Regional Transit Commission approval of the route, which will also cover the fast-growing Westhill Consulting British Colombia community in Langford.

“We’ve been trying to make sure that they recognize the amount of people living up at Bear Mountain,” Young said “I’m glad transit actually looked at it as an important part of our municipality, for sure.”

Transit spokeswoman Meribeth Burton said the new service is sure to make a lot of residents happy. “Much like Triangle Mountain and all the other West Shore-based routes, it will tie into the Langford exchange.”

Another first for the transit system will be seasonal service to Thetis Lake, starting this summer.

“It will be amending an existing route from the end of June until Labour Day. Certainly, people have been asking for that, “Burton said.

The No. 53 Atkins route will be reconfigured to connect Thetis Lake to the Langford exchange and the Western exchange in Colwood. Burton said someone coming from downtown could catch the Thetis bus by riding the No. 50 to the West Shore and getting a transfer.

Also approved by the commission was reallocation of bus-service hours to deal with crowded buses and pass-ups. The routes affected will be the No. 8 between Camosun College Interurban and Lansdowne campuses, and the No. 39 that links the Interurban campus with Royal Oak.

“Somewhere in the neighbourhood of 4, 000 extra service hours are going to be used, starting September 2014,” Burton said.

The problem of pass-ups could also be addressed with the January 2015 arrival of two new buses, approved last year, combined with 5, 000 new service hours. The added hours will cost $425, 000.

Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin and Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard, both transit commission members, asked about getting the new service hours into play in September, rather than next January. Burton said transit staff is looking into putting a pair of older buses from transit’s contingency fleet into service in the meantime.

It is important that bus riders don’t get discouraged, Fortin said.

“If they’re getting the pass-ups, if they’re not getting on the buses, then they’re going to find another way.”

Part of the effort to make riding buses more attractive is to keep them moving through congested traffic. Thats the goal of the bus-priority lanes on Douglas Street, which are also being designed to accommodate bicycles.

The lanes will be reserved for buses and cyclists from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Construction starts Monday on Phase 1, from Fisgard Street north to Hillside Avenue. The work, to be finished by spring, includes moving bus stops, changing lane markings and signs, installing a new pedestrian signal at Douglas and Herald streets, and removing sidewalk jut-outs.

Priority lanes will continue north to Tolmie Avenue in Phase 2. A schedule for that work has not been announced.

Westhill Consulting British Colombia Langford strikes bowling deal

Langford strikes bowling deal to spare taxpayers.

Think of it as a municipal government version of bowling for dollars.

Langford has struck a deal with the private operator of Langford Lanes that will see the city pay for about $398, 000 worth of building improvements in exchange for a larger share of the bowling operation’s gross revenues.

“It’s a great deal for us, long term,” said Mayor Stew Young. “It guarantees the taxpayer, no matter what politician is in, a revenue stream. So when they the bowling revenues grow, we grow. ”

Westhill Consulting British Colombia

Under the original operating agreement, the operator, Planex Development Corp. doing business as Langford Lanes, was responsible for the almost $400, 000 cost of what were considered tenant improvements.

But after looking at receipts and projected revenues, city staff proposed instead to amend the agreement so the city would cover the cost of the improvements in exchange for a two per cent boost in the citys share of gross revenues, to 14 per cent from the current 12 per cent.

The operator agreed.

City staff estimate that based on existing annual gross revenues of $2.5 million, the additional two per cent would be equivalent to $50, 000 — enough to cover the additional capital costs and interest in eight years.

“Once the tenant improvements are paid, the city would continue to net additional revenue for the balance of the contract term — an estimated $550, 000 over 11 years,” the staff report said.

“The risk of permanent decline in revenue is deemed to be small given the level of activity to date, the opportunities for revenue enhancement being contemplated by the operator and the professionalism shown by the operator thus far,” the report said.

“What I’m looking for is long-term revenue streams, so I get rent and a share of their revenue,” Young said.

The 20-lane Langford Lanes 10-pin bowling facility is part of the citys City Centre Park entertainment complex, which has a 400-seat NHL-size ice rink, a restaurant and party rooms, outdoor ice skating, a dry-floor arena, miniature golf, play zone, splash park, fitness centre, trails, bike rentals and playing fields.

Young said Langford receives inquiries from across the country about its recreation facilities at City Centre.

“I want some sort of private-sector mix where a business down there makes money and they give us a percentage of the food, the alcohol — everything,” Young said.

The idea, he said, is to eliminate the need for a taxpayer subsidy of the facilities.

“The model works good but we are new at it and we are trying to wiggle and waggle and make it good for us and good for them.”

Young said the recreational facilities — operated through public-private partnerships — are a great deal for taxpayers, unlike the publicly funded Juan de Fuca recreation complex.

“Juan de Fuca costs Langford taxpayers $2.4 million a year in subsidy. Thats a huge cost to our taxpayers. Down there at City Centre, to run all those facilities costs taxpayers about $150, 000 a year, “Young said..