I've already heard from one political party leader! Make your voice heard by using the website's email template, addresses of MP's and quick launch email buttons to get in done in a jiffy! https://restoreislandrail.com/tell-your-leaders

Do you remember going for Sunday drives?

I recall in my youth, going for a Sunday drive just to pass the time was a thing. Gas was cheap, the roads were clear, and there was no-where on the island me and my friends wouldn't go just for the heck of it.  Fast forward to today while I'm in a much better financial position than I ever was then, and the first thought that comes to mind is 'how full is my gas tank.' The second thought is 'Will the drive be enjoyable, or just another source of frustration.'

I'm not taking a bus to explore the island, but you bet your life I would be on the train, because the only time you interact with roads is when you cruise on through on the Right-of-Way.

The Truth of the Matter

The truth is Vancouver Island has been subject to highway closures on the single set of highways (shown in black) that interconnect communities from North to South and West to East.

The patchwork of transportation planning throughout the 7 regional districts and 13 municipalities on the island, and continued reliance on private high-cost bus services as an alternative to auto-mode use, has repeatedly failed island residents.

BC Transit provides meager and unreliable service between cities, and nothing North of Parksville or to Port Alberni, leaving residents with little confidence in using alternatives. This lack of reliable transit pushes them to the only reliable option remaining, owning and operating their own personal road-based vehicles.

That reliance on auto-modes of transit is choking up our highways during morning and evening commutes. With a population expanding faster than other areas of Canada, expected to reach 1 million by 2030, and with over 5 million overnight visitors during tourist season contributing to congestion, Vancouver Island needs to think about alternatives and regulatory changes to ensure we have the capacity, redundancy, affordability, and resiliency to support our population and growing economy estimated at over $37 billion in 2024.

A mostly unused railway exists that links every major city and town between Courtenay and Port Alberni through Parksville, Nanaimo, Duncan, and Langford, to Victoria that could provide a road separated right-of-way to establish a desirable and highly reliable way to create an integrated multimodal network of transit on Vancouver Island that includes Trains, buses, and trails with additional economic benefits of moving freight by rail.  It's still active in Nanaimo.

I hope you will take a few minutes and send those emails in, they are getting noticed!

Thanks for signing, sharing, promoting, and emailing to help make this happen!

Warren Skaalrud
Petitioner.