2002/03 Annual Service Plan Report Ministry of Transportation

Ministry Role and Services

Introduction

The role of the Ministry of Transportation is to support B.C.'s regions and industries by working to keep their transportation system safe and cost effective.

The ministry is responsible for building, operating and managing the provincial highway system, including inland ferries. The ministry's role in this regard has shifted over time: away from direct delivery of highway maintenance, routine design work and construction; and towards planning, establishing partnerships, setting standards and auditing results. This trend accelerated in 2002/03, allowing the ministry to reduce its full-time equivalent (FTE) staff complement from about 2,300 to just under 1,550, and remain on course to meet its target of 966 FTEs by 2004/05.

The ministry works with local authorities and the private sector to develop various forms of transportation improvements in support of economic development, such as improvements to local airports. It provides policy advice to the government on air, rail and marine issues.

Up until the end of 2002/03, the ministry also served as an oversight and appeals body on the licensing and testing of all B.C. drivers, through the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles.

The independent Motor Carrier Commission regulates the commercial passenger industry on B.C. highways and local roads.

The ministry's business also includes the BC Transportation Financing Authority (BCTFA), a Crown corporation incorporated under the Build BC Act, which owns and finances provincial transportation assets. The BCTFA's chair is the Minister of Transportation, and its CEO is the Deputy Minister of Transportation.

The Minister of Transportation is responsible for British Columbia Railway Company, BC Transit, and Rapid Transit Project 2000. These Crown-owned entities prepare their own annual service plan reports. The Minister was also responsible for BC Ferries until it was restructured and placed under the supervision of an independent authority on April 1, 2003.

Ministry Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

The vision of the Ministry of Transportation is a fully integrated transportation system that advances economic and social growth, and moves goods and people within British Columbia and to markets beyond.

Mission

The mission of the Ministry of Transportation is to:

• create an integrated transportation network that incorporates all modes of transport, reflects regional priorities, and provides a strong foundation for economic growth; and
• maintain and improve the provincial highway system, ensuring the safe and efficient movement of people and goods provincially, nationally and internationally.

Values

• We respect regional and community goals and priorities.
• We are responsive to the needs of British Columbia business.
• We strive for excellence and innovation.
• We respect the people we serve and work with.

The ministry refined the definitions of its vision, mission and values during 2002/03; however, the themes that were established in the 2002/03 – 2004/05 Service Plan were retained.

Ministry Operating Context

The following external and internal conditions had a significant impact on the demand for the ministry's services and the ministry's ability to deliver its programs and services during 2002/03.

• The demand for transportation infrastructure in B.C. tends to reflect long-term, rather than short-term trends. 2002/03 saw a continued rise in highway traffic congestion in urban areas, and continued significant growth in the number and size of trucks operating in all areas of the province. These trends may contribute to growing public support for investment in new infrastructure, and growing acceptance that tolling strategies may be required to accelerate investment.
• The government continued to pursue the revival of B.C. resource industries such as forestry, mining, oil and gas. In recognition of the need to support this policy thrust with transportation improvements, the government approved a three-year Transportation Investment Plan along with the resources to pay for it.
• The government also showed continuing interest in promoting public-private partnerships, for example through the sponsorship of an international conference on transportation partnerships and the creation of a new agency, Partnerships BC. Against this background, the ministry and other provincial agencies laid the foundation for a partnership initiative in the Coquihalla corridor, and for the adoption of a new provincial tolling policy. This policy, adopted early in the 2003/04 fiscal year, recognizes the emerging opportunity for the private operation of transportation facilities, as well as the fact that most existing highway and related transportation infrastructure will continue to be owned and operated by the public sector.
• The federal government greatly increased its level of participation in the delivery of the provincial transportation strategy. The federal pattern of investment signalled a particular interest in trade corridors, and also reflected concerns about international security and the need for major investments at and around border crossings.
• Internally, the ministry continued to experience dramatic reorganization, including considerable downsizing and reassignment of tasks. The ministry's People Plan, developed with staff from across the province, emphasizes the technical and professional opportunities that lie ahead in the new, leaner, more focused organization.

Update on New Era Commitments

• The ministry established Regional Transportation Advisory Committees (RTACs) in eight B.C. regions, covering the entire province outside Greater Vancouver. The committees will identify regional transportation needs and advise the Minister on regional priorities, fulfilling a New Era commitment to give local communities more control over their transportation needs and planning.
• Work commenced with other provincial Crown transportation agencies on the development of a high-level strategic plan, intended to identify potential new efficiencies and points of integration across B.C.'s transportation system. This will fulfill a New Era commitment to examine the status of the transportation system in terms of both operations and infrastructure, and to consider various regional transportation models. Input from the RTACs will support the development of the strategic plan.
• The ministry's three-year Transportation Investment Plan increased the annual investment toward improving northern and heartlands roads by $75 million per year. This addresses the New Era commitment to focus resources on improving northern and rural transportation.

Ministry Goals

The ministry's vision contemplates "a fully integrated transportation system that advances economic and social growth, and moves goods and people within British Columbia and to markets beyond". The ministry's mission is to achieve this vision through the creation of an integrated transportation network that reflects regional priorities and provides a strong foundation for economic growth, and the maintenance and improvement of the highway system to ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. The ministry's goals for 2002/03 listed below specifically address each of these elements:

• Develop an integrated transportation strategy.
• Maximize private sector investment in the highway system.
• Improve the movement of goods and services between regions and through interprovincial and international gateways.
• Obtain and incorporate regional input.
• Focus on northern and rural areas.
• Maintain a highway system that is safe, reliable and supports the economy.
• Utilize cost-effective and accountable management practices.

The above ministry goals support the government's goal of a strong and vibrant provincial economy and the following government objectives:

• British Columbia will have a prosperous economy.
• British Columbia will have employment opportunities.
• Government will be affordable and fiscally responsible.

Core Business Areas

The following outlines the organization of the ministry's core business areas at the time its Service Plan for 2002/03 – 2004/05 was adopted. The ministry's objectives, key strategies and results for 2002/03 are described in the "Performance Reporting" section immediately following this section.

Core Business Area 1: Highway Operations

The Highway Operations business area encompasses four major program areas. They are:

• Maintenance and Traffic Operations, including regional and district operations, pavement marking, avalanche control, rock slope stabilization, and road and bridge maintenance contracts;
• Asset Preservation, including road and bridge surfacing, bridge rehabilitation and replacement, safety improvements, and minor betterments;
• Inland Ferries; and
• the Coquihalla Toll Administration.

The Highway Operations business area supports the ministry goals to:

• Maintain a highway system that is safe, reliable and supports the economy.
• Focus on northern and rural areas.

Core Business Area 2: Transportation Improvements

The Transportation Improvements business area encompasses three program areas:

• Transportation Policy and Legislation, providing guidance on the development of transportation, highway and corporate policy and legislation;
• Partnerships, focussing on the development of partnerships with the private sector and other levels of government, and on making efficient use of property under the ministry's jurisdiction to reduce the cost to taxpayers of new highways facilities; and
• Planning, Engineering and Construction, responsible for highway planning, capital program development and monitoring, investment strategies, quality management, access management, direction and management of projects, engineering, survey and design, construction, and property acquisition for provincial highways.

The Transportation Improvements business area supports the ministry goals to:

• Develop an integrated transportation strategy.
• Obtain and incorporate regional input.
• Improve the movement of goods and services between regions and through interprovincial and international gateways.
• Maximize private sector investment in the highway system.

Core Business Area 3: Motor Vehicle Regulation

The Motor Vehicle Regulation business area encompasses two programs:

• The Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles (OSMV), which administers sections of the Motor Vehicle Act relating to dangerous drivers and the fitness of drivers; conducts appeals of administrative driving prohibitions and vehicle impoundment; and conducts hearings and reviews of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia's (ICBC) decisions regarding driver license sanctions, driver training and driver licences, vehicle inspection facility and inspector licences, and licensing sanctions affecting motor carriers regulated under the National Safety Code.
• The Motor Carrier Commission (MCC), an independent body that regulates the province's commercial passenger industry (buses and taxis) pursuant to the Motor Carrier Act. The Commission, by delegation pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Transport Act (Canada), also issues licenses for the interprovincial and international road transport of passengers.

The Motor Vehicle Regulation business area supports the ministry goal to:

• Maintain a highway system that is safe, reliable and supports the economy.

This business area was reorganized at the end of the 2002/03 fiscal year. The Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles was transferred to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The Motor Carrier Branch, the audit and investigations arm of the Motor Carrier Commission, was transferred into the ministry from ICBC.

Core Business Area 4: Corporate Services

The Corporate Services business area encompasses the minister's and deputy minister's offices; finance; administration; human resources; facilities management; information systems; service planning, reporting and performance measurement; and freedom of information, protection of privacy and records management.

The Corporate Services business area supports the ministry goal to:

• Utilize cost-effective and accountable management practices.