Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

The provincial government has established the following Five Great Goals for a Golden Decade in British Columbia:

• Make British Columbia the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent;
• Lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness;
• Build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, children at risk, and seniors;
• Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none; and
• Create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada.

The Ministry's goals support these Five Great Goals, particularly the goal of creating more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada, as transportation is crucial to trade and growth.

This section describes the Ministry's overall goals, the supporting objectives that should be met along the way, the major strategies the Ministry will use, and targets against which performance will be measured. Ministry staff and the public will be able to gauge how well these strategies are working over the next three years by comparing the performance targets below with the actual measured results that will appear in future annual service plan reports.

Overview

Ministry Goals

In order to further the provincial government's Five Great Goals, the Ministry has the following goals:

1. Key transportation infrastructure is improved to drive economic growth and trade.
2. British Columbia is provided with a safe and reliable highway system.
3. British Columbia's transportation industries become more globally competitive.
4. Excellent customer service is achieved.

Linkage to the Great Goals

The Ministry supports the provincial government's Great Goals in the following ways.

Create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada.

• A $2 billion investment in transportation improvements over the next three years will capture greater opportunities in trade, tourism, and resources.
• Achieving the growth targets outlined in the Pacific Gateway Strategy Action Plan will enable the ports system to contribute an additional $6.6 billion annually in economic output to the Canadian economy by 2020, with $4.7 billion occurring in B.C., resulting in the creation of 45,000 new high-paying jobs in Canada, 32,000 of which will be in B.C.²
• Major infrastructure projects such as the Kicking Horse Canyon Project, the William R. Bennett Bridge, the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project, and the Canada Line will stimulate economic development and job creation by allowing more efficient movement of goods and people, and increasing tourism.
• Public-private partnerships will continue to provide economic benefits to British Columbia through private sector innovation and timely investment.

Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none.

• Ministry transportation strategies aim to encourage the use of public transit and cycling to reduce traffic congestion, and to find ways to move goods and people more efficiently.
• Through the Gateway Program in the lower mainland, the Ministry has committed an investment totalling $60 million to provide appropriate cycling and pedestrian access along and across the Gateway corridors.
• Rigorous environmental reviews are undertaken on all transportation infrastructure projects; and environmental mitigation and compensation, when required, are integral to the way the Ministry conducts its business.
• Annual investments of an additional $2 million are made to further protect and enhance wildlife and fish habitats linked to highway projects.
• Ministry vehicles use environmentally friendly fuels wherever possible and practical. Currently, over two thirds of the Ministry's fleet of approximately 372 light vehicles use alternate fuels, which are less damaging to the environment. This percentage is expected to increase as older vehicles are replaced.
• Significant investments in the Canada Line and other major transit projects throughout the province will provide commuters with viable alternatives.
• Support for the Hydrogen Highway project to demonstrate that zero-emission vehicles can be a reality. BC Transit has offered to purchase a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell hybrid buses for regular service.

Lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness.

• Transportation network improvements make it easier to access health care.
• Investments in highway safety reduce the number and severity of crashes, thereby reducing the demand on health care services.
• Investments in community cycling networks encourage physical fitness.
• Designers of all highway improvement projects explore opportunities for cycling and pedestrian access.

Build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, children at risk and seniors.

• Transportation network improvements provide better access to support services for these British Columbians.
• Annual transfers to BC Transit help support transportation services for the disabled and seniors, such as HandyDART and Paratransit.
• Subsidized fares on BC Ferries for the disabled and seniors make it easier for them to access services which are not available in their own communities.

Cross Ministry Initiatives

The provincial government has announced a number of important initiatives for which success will depend on the work of more than one ministry. Below are the Ministry of Transportation's plans for supporting these cross ministry initiatives.

Asia Pacific Initiative. The British Columbia Asia Pacific Initiative ensures the province has a coordinated and targeted strategic plan in place that takes full advantage of Canada's Pacific Gateway advantages and Asian cultural and language base. The Asia Pacific Initiative defines B.C.'s future role in the Asia Pacific economy and identifies the immediate priority actions that must be taken to further integrate the province into Asian markets.

Canada's Pacific Gateway Strategy, a key initiative within the Ministry of Transportation's mandate, is a critical component of the broader Asia Pacific Initiative. The following have been identified as key areas for action to establish a competitive full-service transportation corridor between Asia and North America:

• In cooperation with the federal government and industry stakeholders, advance implementation of the Pacific Gateway Strategy Action Plan;
• Secure federal cost-sharing arrangements for key infrastructure projects to accommodate growth and improve the efficiency of British Columbia's land-based and inter-modal links, such as the Pitt River Bridge, Lower Mainland railway grade separations, and South Fraser Perimeter Road;
• Construct provincial transportation infrastructure in support of Canada's Pacific Gateway Strategy;
• Participate with all relevant parties to pursue measures that attract new investment and expand trade volumes; and
• Improve the reliability and cost-effectiveness of ports and expanding air service through Greater Vancouver, and expand use of these facilities by international carriers.

Container yard at Coast 2000 Terminals distribution centre in Richmond, B.C.

2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. All provincial ministries, agencies and Crowns have been working together to ensure every available opportunity to develop sustainable economic legacies are explored and pursued so that businesses and communities in British Columbia receive benefit from the Games. The Ministry of Transportation's key projects are to:

• Upgrade the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler. Improvements include four lanes from Horseshoe Bay to north of Lions Bay; four and three lanes from north of Lions Bay to Murrin Park; four lanes from Murrin Park to Depot Road north of Squamish; and three lanes from Depot Road to Function Junction, at the south end of Whistler. Some 500 public meetings in Sea-to-Sky communities have confirmed the need for these highway safety, reliability and capacity improvements, which are on-schedule and also support the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
• Develop plans to facilitate transportation needs during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and to sustain the long-term development opportunities that will flow from the Games.

Mountain Pine Beetle. Projections indicate the mountain pine beetle infestation could kill 80 per cent of the pine forest in British Columbia by 2013. Pine forests dominate the interior of B.C., and their loss has significant implications to the forest environment, economy and the communities that depend on those forests for sustainability. The B.C. Government, through coordination by the Ministry of Forests and Range and the Provincial Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan, is working across a number of ministries to minimize and mitigate negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of the infestation, while recovering the greatest value and protecting public health, safety and infrastructure.

The Ministry of Transportation ensures the provincial highway infrastructure supports the increased hauling of mountain pine beetle-attacked wood by:

• Developing a long-term highway rehabilitation strategy to adequately respond to the increased truck traffic;
• Minimizing the loss or destructive effects to the highway infrastructure through timely rehabilitation and upgrades; and
• Working with other ministries to plan and budget for the necessary upgrades.

ActNow BC. ActNow BC, led by the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, combines cross government and community-based approaches to promote healthy living choices for British Columbians. The programs and initiatives champion healthy eating, physical activity, ending tobacco use, and healthy choices during pregnancy.

In support of this initiative, the Ministry of Transportation is:

• Promoting physical activity by facilitating cycling, trails and access to recreation. The Ministry has dedicated $60 million to cycling infrastructure for the Gateway Program in the lower mainland, $10 million of which will be matching funds used to engage local government in linking into the cycle network. In addition, the Ministry provides up to $2 million annually through its Cycling Infrastructure Partnerships Program, which is a 50/50 cost share program aimed at assisting local governments to enhance the attractiveness of cycling as a commuting option through the construction of bike networks throughout the Province.
• Working with the Ministry of Community Services, the Ministry of Transportation administers the LocalMotion program, which provides $40 million over four years for investment in capital projects including bike paths, walkways, greenways and improved accessibility for people with disabilities. This program gives local governments extra resources to improve air quality and safety, reduce energy consumption, and encourage all British Columbians to get out and be more active in their communities.
• Facilitating access to nutritious foods, health care, recreational opportunities, and other social and economic activities through the provision of safe and supported transportation links.

Regulatory Reform. British Columbia continues to make regulatory reform a priority across government, making it easier for businesses to operate and succeed in British Columbia, while still preserving regulations that protect public health, safety and the environment. A citizen-centred approach to regulatory reform will reduce the number of steps it takes to comply with government requirements or access government programs and services.

Since 2001, the Ministry of Transportation has cut red tape dramatically, reducing its regulatory requirements by over one-third. The Ministry will continue to support government's Regulatory Reform initiatives by:

• Developing and implementing two citizen-centered regulatory reform initiatives that will reduce the number of steps and time required by citizens, businesses and industry to access government services. These projects are both online systems — one for commercial transportation permitting and the other for rural subdivision approvals;
• Identifying further regulatory reduction and regulatory reform opportunities that will contribute to more cost-effective, results-based regulatory requirements that are responsive to our fast changing world; and
• Implementing the Regulatory Reform Policy and targeting a zero net increase in regulatory requirements through 2008/09.

Citizen-Centred Service Delivery. Citizen-centred service delivery is a government-wide initiative to coordinate information, programs and services so that they can be presented to citizens in a way that takes their needs into account from beginning to end. The vision is to make it possible for citizens to access the government information and services they need in a simple and timely manner with a phone call, a mouse click or a visit to a service centre, no matter how many programs or ministries are involved in their request.

To ensure the Ministry is meeting the needs of British Columbians, the following measures are in place:

• Drive BC. The new Drive BC website provides users with accurate, timely information on provincial road conditions. Information is automatically posted directly to the website and changeable message signs on highways. Travellers are able to access information such as weather conditions, travel advisories, road closures, webcams, load restrictions and other important links.
• FrontCounter BC. This program, operated by the Integrated Land Management Bureau in an increasing number of regional centres, provides a single point of contact for natural resource businesses to get the information, permits and applications they need from all ministries at once. Services provided to Ministry clients include subdivision approvals, permits to construct works on highway rights-of-way and road closures.
• Extensive community consultation. Major Ministry projects include significant consultation processes; which feature open houses, community meetings, newsletters, public information displays and newspaper advertisements.
• Contractor Assessment Program. Key stakeholders such as the RCMP, emergency response providers, major trucking firms and bus lines rate their levels of satisfaction with road maintenance activities such as snow removal, mowing, patching and sign maintenance. The Ministry works to resolve any concerns and takes past performance into consideration when tendering new contracts.
• Annual surveys of customer satisfaction. The Ministry uses annual survey results and public feedback to ensure British Columbians are satisfied with services they receive and to improve business processes.

Performance Plan

Performance Plan Summary Table

The diagram below displays the primary linkages between the Five Great Goals and the Ministry's mission, goals, objectives and performance measures.

• 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.
• Secure federal funding for transportation projects in British Columbia.

The percentage of projects completed on budget and the percentage completed on time are averaged. While most projects finish on budget and on schedule, project scope changes and other unforeseen problems could negatively impact results.

Private investment capital leveraged measures three items:

• contributions from non-provincial partners (municipalities, Crown corporations, First Nations and the private sector) towards the cost of infrastructure construction;
• proceeds from the sale of surplus land which is used to finance capital improvements; and
• the value of capital improvements financed by the private sector under design-build-finance-operate arrangements.

The increase in private investment capital leveraged primarily reflects increases in the value of capital improvements (e.g., Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project and Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 2 Project).

Federal funding investment leveraged refers to the amount of federal funding secured through British Columbia/Canada contribution agreements for transportation improvements. The Ministry's ability to leverage federal funding is dependent on the availability of matching provincial funding, and federal funding allocation and prioritization practices. Targets are based on expected available federal funding.

• 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 (formerly known as weigh scales) by relocating and/or redesigning them, and by using intelligent transportation systems to process truck traffic more efficiently.
• Reduce congestion at Canada/USA border crossings through the use of intelligent transportation systems initiatives.

Major provincial economic gateways include key international and interprovincial border crossings, international airports, and major marine ports. The Ministry has identified a network of primary numbered highways that serve these gateways. Satellite tracking technology has been used to record the travel speed of a fleet of approximately 2,000 long-haul commercial trucks whenever they travel on this highway network.

Data has been collected for 2004 and 2005. The baseline above is based on 2005 data. The targets represent the average of the 2004 value (71 km/h) and the 2005 value (69 km/h). The targets represent a "hold-the-line" objective, recognizing that performance can be positively affected by capital/rehabilitation improvements and maintenance activities, but also negatively impacted by steadily growing traffic volumes, and in particular by urban congestion. There are many factors outside the Ministry's control, such as weather, driver behaviour, and the level of travel demand. Unreasonably low speeds were screened out. It is important to measure the actual performance achieved on the highway system rather than just those factors under Ministry control, because the actual performance is what affects the economy. Even small changes in the overall average speed can have significant effects on trucking productivity, and can affect routing and capital investment decisions made by shipping companies.

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

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.

Winter maintenance on Sutton Pass

• 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.
• 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.

This performance measure tracks the lane kilometres of highway rehabilitated during each fiscal year. Examples of such activities include first time hard surface paving or seal coating, and resurfacing of existing paved surfaces. The target number of kilometres is constant because it corresponds to the optimal rate of repair to maintain the overall condition of the main highway system.

The actual lane kilometres of roads that are rehabilitated will be measured in the field during program delivery.

• Strategically invest in roadway rehabilitation and improvements on the provincial side road system as follows:
• Interior and Rural Side Roads Program — Invest $75 million in 2007/08; $55 million in 2008/09; and $50 million in 2009/10.
• Heartlands Oil and Gas Road Rehabilitation Strategy — Invest $42 million per annum for 2007/08 and 2008/09.
• Support British Columbia's Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan, through the strategic investment of $30 million per annum in 2007/08 and 2008/09.

This performance measure tracks the cumulative lane kilometres improved since the commencement of the program. The activities will include various treatments such as drainage improvements, base reconstruction and strengthening, gravelling, first time hard surfacing or resurfacing.

The lane kilometres of roads that are improved will be measured in the field during program delivery.

• Monitor highway safety and improve high-risk locations, in consultation with Regional Transportation Advisory Committees.
• Maximize highway safety and reliability through both safety-focused enhancements and low-cost improvements, such as signs, lighting, and lane markings.
• Work with safety partners such as the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to develop a safety plan to achieve the targets established in the Canada-wide Road Safety Vision 2010.

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 21 projects across the province is used. Data on the safety performance of these projects will be aggregated and reported on an annual basis.

• Establish and enforce standards that govern British Columbia's commercial transport industry.
• Improve commercial transport safety regulations.
• Work with other jurisdictions to coordinate 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.

The out-of-service rate is the percentage of commercial vehicles randomly inspected at "Roadcheck" stops that are taken out of service for having serious safety violations. The out-of-service criteria are interpreted consistently by all jurisdictions. The Ministry monitors the variations from the national average in the out-of-service rate to assess the impacts of road safety programs and the industry's level of compliance with maintenance standards. For 2006, the national average for out-of-service trucks is 20.3 per cent and the British Columbia average is 19.3 per cent.

• Ensure British Columbia's ports and airports are gateways for economic growth and development by providing a long-term plan.
• Work closely with other levels of government and stakeholders where responsibilities may overlap.

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.

• Undertake annual surveys of customer satisfaction and compare survey results with baseline data to ensure customer needs are met.
• Use survey results and public feedback to better understand various elements of customer expectations and levels of customer service provided through existing processes and procedures.
• Conduct focus group sessions with individual stakeholder groups to identify potential gaps in service delivery, and determine how to refine ways of doing business in order to better meet customer needs.
• Evaluate results to determine how to adjust internal processes, procedures or communications to enable more rapid information exchange within and between ministry business units to deliver enhanced customer service.

The Ministry conducted 2,076 surveys throughout the province in 2006. The key stakeholders surveyed include commercial highway operators, permit applicants, emergency services, resource industry, highway construction and maintenance companies, professional and technical consultants, real estate industry, business groups, First Nations, and general highway users. The results are compared across business units, districts and regions to identify best practices leading to service innovation. The targets noted above reflect a weighted average of stakeholder satisfaction with several types of Ministry services.

Recent survey results suggest the Ministry is succeeding in its ongoing objective to improve service quality while identifying areas and processes for review to improve future service delivery.