Report on Performance

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

Summary of Results

The ministry has developed objectives and strategies to meet its high-level goals. To make sure that these strategies are effective, the ministry sets measurable performance targets for each fiscal year. This report outlines how well the ministry has met these targets.

Performance measures provide a concrete way for the public to judge the effectiveness and quality of the ministry's services. They allow the ministry to learn from its successes and find areas where new approaches are needed. The ministry is committed to providing reliable and useful information that gives an accurate picture of the ministry's performance.

The performance measures in the following table are grouped by the goals and objectives they serve.

 

Congestion on Highway 15 — Addressed by Border Infrastructure Project

 

Performance Plan Summary Table

Goals, Objectives, Key Strategies and Performance Measures

Goal 1

Key transportation infrastructure is improved to drive economic growth and trade.

Core Business Area

Transportation Improvements.

Objective 1

Regional and local input is used when setting transportation priorities.

Key Strategies

Performance Measure: Regional Transportation Advisory Committee Satisfaction

The RTACs provide annual reports to the Minister documenting their activities and recommendations. These reports identify regional needs and transportation priorities, in order to give regions a greater say in transportation planning.

Given budget constraints and policy issues, the ministry may not be able to implement all of the RTAC recommendations, particularly in the short term. Where recommendations are not feasible, the ministry provides the RTACs with explanations.

The survey of RTAC members' satisfaction with ministry consideration of their recommendations was not carried out in 2005/06 due to timing issues. The ministry is considering whether to conduct the survey in 2006/07.

Objective 2

Available provincial investment dollars are used as effectively as possible.

Key Strategy A

Develop partnerships with the private sector and municipalities in consultation with Partnerships BC, and obtain market value for surplus land.

Performance Measure 1: Private Investment Capital Leveraged

Leverage is the value of partnership contributions and net land sales revenues. This performance measure includes financial, land and/or other contributions at the time of construction from non provincial treasury sources; such as municipalities, Crown corporations, First Nations and the private sector. It also includes the financing of projects by the private sector under Design-Build-Finance-Operate arrangements. It does not include contributions from the federal government, which are measured separately. The performance measure also includes the net value captured from land sales.

1	The 2002/03 and 2003/04 actuals were restated to include net land sales not associated with a specific project.

How the results are measured

The contribution / recovery from partners and the land contribution are measured against the gross cost of capital projects.

Data reliability

Results are based on financial contributions from partners, net revenue from land sales, independent valuation of other contributions, and estimates of the value of construction undertaken on Design-Build-Finance-Operate contracts.

Explanation of variance

The positive variance is primarily due to construction being ahead of schedule for a number of major projects. It is anticipated that the acceleration of actual leverage in 2005/06 may be offset by lower actual leverage amounts of approximately equal value in future years.

Key Strategy B

Solicit and obtain federal funding for transportation projects in British Columbia.

Performance Measure 2: Federal Funding Leveraged

Funding from the federal government helps British Columbia achieve longer term sustainable financing for transportation improvements.

How the results are measured

The actual figures refer to the amount of federal funding confirmed through signed British Columbia / Canada contribution agreements.

Fiscal recoveries under British Columbia / Canada contribution agreements require the projects to be implemented within an agreed-upon time frame.

Data reliability

The recoveries are based on funds actually received or accrued by the Province.

Explanation of variance

The variance is primarily due to:

The revised cash flow schedules will result in additional recoveries being incorporated into future years' targets.

Key Strategy C

Complete projects on budget and on time.

Performance Measure 3: Capital Project Performance

Meeting budgets and schedules lets the ministry make effective use of the public's investment in transportation.

These two measures will be combined in 2006/07 to create a new measure, the percentage of projects that meet their budget and schedule.

How the results are measured

All projects under the capital program are aggregated each fiscal year to compare the planned cost of the projects to the actual cost and the scheduled progress of the projects to the actual progress. Total actual expenditures are compared to total approved budgets. Actual completion dates are compared to scheduled completion dates.

Data reliability

Very reliable. Approved budgets and schedules are compared to actual expenditures and completion dates.

Explanation of variance

The target was exceeded marginally as several contracts were completed ahead of schedule.

Objective 3

The worsening congestion trend in urban areas is mitigated.

Key Strategy

Implement cost-effective highway upgrades that improve traffic flow, reduce delay-causing crashes and add new capacity, using partnership cost-sharing where feasible.

Performance Measure: Level of Traffic Congestion for Urban Highways

This performance measure examines how often vehicles in urban British Columbia drive through a congested highway segment. The measure focuses on urban highways, as congestion generally is not a problem on rural highways.

A vehicle-kilometre is a single kilometre travelled by one vehicle. If 10 vehicles travel through the same 2 kilometres of congested highway, this counts as 20 vehicle-kilometres travelled in congested conditions.

Reporting of this measure will be discontinued in 2006/07 since it is difficult for readers to understand and the trend is largely outside the ministry's control.

How the results are measured

Traffic count stations monitor 12 per cent of the total urban highway length, a sample which the ministry uses to represent the entire urban system. This performance measure is calculated for the calendar year, not the fiscal year.

A highway segment is considered congested whenever traffic volumes rise over 80 per cent of the segment's peak hourly volume that year.

Data reliability

This method accounts for changing traffic volumes from year to year, changing traffic flows as a result of highway improvements or problems, and differences between urban and rural conditions. Ministry traffic count station data is quite reliable.

There are many factors outside ministry control that affect urban congestion, such as changes in population, levels of vehicle ownership, ride sharing behaviour, and the status of adjacent non-provincial routes.

Explanation of variance

The variance is not significant given the large amount of data used in calculating this measure and the many factors that affect urban congestion.

Objective 4

Improved mobility for highways servicing major economic gateways.

Key Strategy

Improve mobility and reliability and reduce bottlenecks on major urban and rural trade corridors, using partnership cost-sharing where feasible.

Performance Measure: Average Commercial Trucking Travel Speed

The speed of approximately 1,500 heavy long-distance trucks was monitored as they travelled on primary provincial numbered highways.

How the results are measured

The data comes from a private firm which provides tracking services to the trucking industry through the use of satellite technology. Truck locations are recorded each hour and whenever the ignition is switched off.

The overall average speed is calculated by dividing the total distance travelled by the total time elapsed. The measured speed includes mandatory stops at brake check areas and weigh scales, delays due to the effects of highway geometrics, grades, congestion, construction, incidents, weather, speed limits, truck power and weight, and any stops where the driver did not shut off the engine.

The measured speeds ranged from 32 kilometres per hour in congested urban areas to 79 kilometres per hour in uncongested rural areas.

Data reliability

The data is very reliable in terms of highway coverage (5 840 km), data quantity (over 110,000 samples), temporal conditions (constant data from peak summer and shoulder autumn seasons) and location (capturing both urban and rural conditions). Unreasonably low speeds are screened out.

In the winter months, the average speeds may be higher because of lower rural traffic volumes; however, weather conditions also affect the results.

Explanation of variance

The small negative variance may indicate that urban and rural congestion is causing performance to decrease; however, it is difficult to be certain given the many factors that can affect truck travel time.

Goal 2

British Columbia is provided with a safe and reliable highway system.

Core Business Area

Highway Operations

Objective 1

Contractors maintain the provincial highway system to a high standard.

Key Strategy A

Maintain the highway system in a cost-effective way.

Performance Measure 1: Maintenance Cost per Lane Kilometre

The cost of maintenance is a substantial portion of the ministry budget. The cost per lane kilometre indicates how well the ministry is containing these costs.

The majority of the cost consists of estimated costs of road and bridge maintenance contracts, pavement marking contracts and electrical maintenance contracts. It also includes an estimate of other maintenance costs — the costs of administering the contracts and other maintenance activities performed by ministry staff (e.g., radio and electronics, some electrical maintenance and avalanche control).

Reporting of this measure will be discontinued in 2006/07 since it is an input measure, the aggregation of which is reported in the Resource Summary section.

How the results are measured

The total allocated cost is divided by the total number of lane kilometres of road maintained.

Data reliability

Data reliability is very high. It is based on the most recent inventory data. The remainder are actual costs from the financial reports.

Explanation of variance

The ministry target was exceeded marginally as several contracts came in under budget and the districts updated their data resulting in an increase in lane kilometres.

Key Strategy B

Fully implement and review the Contractor Assessment Program (CAP), a new procedure for auditing how well highway maintenance contractors are delivering services.

Performance Measure 2: Contractor Assessment Program

Local and regional audits verify maintenance contractors' compliance with the contract terms. As well, key stakeholders in each service area are asked to rate their level of satisfaction with road maintenance. The results are combined to give an overall contractor assessment.

How the results are measured

The CAP rating for each contractor is averaged to provide an average CAP rating. The individual contractor's rating is determined by the weighted average of the three components of CAP. The weightings are:

Data reliability

Results for 26 of the 28 contracts are included. The two remaining contracts will commence in the summer / fall of 2006.

Explanation of variance

The target was exceeded slightly. The highway maintenance contracting industry as a whole is providing good service, as evidenced by the quality audit reviews at the local and regional levels, as well as by stakeholder opinion.

Objective 2

The main highway system is maintained and rehabilitated on a lowest life-cycle cost basis.

Key Strategy A

Maintain and regularly assess the condition of the main highways to determine which needs should take priority in annual resurfacing programs.

Performance Measure 1: Pavement Condition for Main Highways

The Pavement Condition Rating is a measure of the overall surface condition of a paved road that takes into account roughness experienced by the road user and standard engineering measurements of surface distress, such as cracks, rutting and surface defects.

This and the lane kilometres resurfaced measure will be replaced in 2006/07 by a measure of improvements to the main highway system to offset deterioration.

 

How the results are measured

The ministry contracts out the collection of pavement surface condition data to contractors who use high-tech pavement evaluation vehicles that take detailed measurements at 50-metre intervals.

The pavement surface condition of primary highways is surveyed every two years. Selected secondary highways are surveyed every three years.

Data reliability

The data is collected using proven survey methodology, very specialized vehicles equipped with sophisticated monitoring equipment, and stringent quality control and quality assurance specifications.

The performance measure shows the findings of the most recent survey of the network and cannot be interpreted as a depiction of the entire highway system in any one year. The trend over several years is a better indicator of highway condition than the actual value in any one year.

Explanation of variance

The target was essentially met; the variance is negligible within the accuracy levels associated with the pavement surface condition surveys.

 

Performance Measure 2: Bridge Condition

Ministry employees regularly assess the condition of bridges and their components and calculate an average ranking of bridge condition.

Reporting of this measure will discontinue for 2006/07 and beyond, as it creates the incorrect impression that our bridges requiring rehabilitation are unsafe, which is not true. Asset management and monitoring of our bridges will continue.

How the results are measured

Ministry Bridge Area Managers perform inspections throughout the year. Each bridge is inspected approximately once a year. Results are recorded in a database.

Data reliability

Bridge inspections follow published guidelines for component condition rating to ensure consistent results.

Bridge Area Managers are certified in bridge inspection through the joint ministry and British Columbia Institute of Technology bridge inspection course.

Explanation of variance

With the addition of new bridges from the Vancouver Island Highway Project into the ministry inventory, the overall percentage of bridges in good condition increased. In addition, the rehabilitation program has focused investment on bridge replacements and rehabilitation.

Key Strategy B

Rehabilitate the main highways at a level that will ensure a lowest life-cycle cost.

Performance Measure 3: Number of Lane Kilometres Resurfaced

Resurfacing extends the life of a highway and makes the road easier to drive. In addition to resurfacing treatments, such as hot-in-place recycling, this performance measure includes the first time hard-surfacing of gravel roads.

The performance measure counts all individual travel lanes that have been resurfaced. For example, resurfacing 15 kilometres of a two-lane highway is recorded as 30 lane kilometres.

This and the pavement condition measure will be replaced in 2006/07 by a measure of improvements to the main highway system to offset deterioration.

How the results are measured

Lane kilometres are measured in the field during resurfacing projects.

Data reliability

The data comes from completed contract records.

Explanation of variance

The target was exceeded; the ministry was able to initiate additional projects due to early tendering.

Objective 3

Improved road access for resource industries and rural residents.

Key Strategy A

Continue to invest $75 million per year to address the deficit in Heartlands road quality.

Performance Measure 1: Surface Condition of Heartlands Roads

This measure is an indicator of the condition of paved and gravel road surfaces which combines results from automated and visual measurement surveys.

This and the following measure will be replaced in 2006/07 by a measure of cumulative improvements made to side roads to offset deterioration.

How the results are measured

Independent contractors measure surface distress and roughness for paved surfaces on a four-year cycle. Representative samples of gravel surfaces are also measured.

Highways that are improved through base reconstruction, first time hard surfacing or other treatments have their surface condition measured in the field during program delivery. These measurements will be included until 2006 to provide additional data, while the automated condition surveys are underway. The surveys are conducted by contractors using automated road testing vehicles equipped with sophisticated on-board systems and instrumentation.

Data reliability

The surveys and data post processing are guided by quality assurance procedures to ensure the data is collected accurately and is repeatable from year to year. The use of a third party contractor to collect the data provides objectivity and consistency throughout the province. The surveys are designed to provide accurate and representative data that will allow the ministry to analyze the side road network as a whole. The data is collected using proven survey methodology, and stringent quality control and quality assurance specifications.

The performance measure shows the findings of the most recent survey of the side road network, and cannot be interpreted as a depiction of the entire side road network system in any one year. The trend over years is a better indicator of side road network condition than the actual value in any one year.

Explanation of variance

The target was exceeded slightly; however, given the limitations described above, these single-year results should not be attributed to the overall condition of the side road system.

Key Strategy B

Invest strategically to support B.C.'s resource industries, by providing enhanced ability to move critical goods that drive the economy.

Performance Measure 2: Number of Lane Kilometres Treated

Lane kilometre treatments include base reconstruction and strengthening, gravel surfacing and first time hard surfacing or resurfacing. These measures apply to northern and Heartlands roads only.

This and the previous measure will be replaced in 2006/07 by a measure of cumulative improvements made to side roads to offset deterioration.

How the results are measured

The condition data for northern and rural roads now resides in the ministry's corporate Road Pavement Management system. Lane kilometres of roads that are treated are measured in the field.

Data reliability

Reliable distance measuring devices are used in the field and distances are measured during program delivery.

Explanation of variance

The target was exceeded as in many cases the required treatments involved sealcoating and gravelling which are less sensitive to rising asphalt and fuel commodity costs, freeing up resources to do additional work.

Objective 4:

Improved highway safety and reliability.

Key Strategy A

Performance Measure 1: Crash Reduction after Construction on Safety Improvement Capital Projects

A comparison between baseline measures prior to capital improvements (benchmark is 725 crashes) and measured results after the safety improvements is completed. A minimum of three years of crash data is required after project completion to determine a trend in improved safety.

How the results are measured

When the RCMP attend an automobile accident on a provincial road, the crash data they collect is sent to ICBC. ICBC removes any personal details and provides the data to the ministry.

Data reliability

A long time frame is needed to have confidence in the achieved safety benefits. Results reported this year should be considered as preliminary.

Explanation of variance

The target was exceeded; however, the results are preliminary due to the short measurement period.

Key Strategy B

Minimize the number of unplanned road closures through implementing in place preventative measures.

Performance Measure 2: Highway Closures

The ministry tracks all unplanned closures longer than 30 minutes on numbered highways. Based on past experience, the ministry expects approximately 2,500 hours of unplanned closures each year. The ministry has little control over unplanned closures as most are the result of accidents or natural causes; however, preventative maintenance does help prevent many closures.

The ministry minimizes closures by quickly clearing debris and collisions, using rock scaling and planned avalanches to prevent slides and uncontrolled avalanches, working with police to minimize the duration of closures after accidents and making physical improvements to the highway system.

Reporting of this measure will be discontinued in 2006/07 since it is largely outside the ministry's control.

How the results are measured

Highway closures are compiled by the Provincial Highways Conditions Centre based on data collected by road and bridge maintenance contractors, ministry personnel and outside emergency response agencies such as the RCMP.

Data reliability

Data providers may not always know the exact time a closure began, but they use the best estimate that could be established at the time of the incident.

Explanation of variance

The target was essentially met; however, given the factors described above, hours of unplanned highway closures are largely outside the ministry's control.

Objective 5

Effective road safety enforcement, education and programs for the commercial transport industry.

Key Strategies

Performance Measure: Variation from National Average in OOS Rate for Commercial Vehicles

The percentage of vehicles with defects which result in the vehicle being placed Out-Of-Service (OOS) has historically proven to provide a good barometer for measuring trends toward vehicle safety. Traditionally, the acceptable level for OOS is within +/- 2 per cent of the national average for commercial vehicles as determined during the International Roadcheck.

How the results are measured

The OOS rate is determined by dividing the number of OOS commercial vehicles by the total number inspected. This provides the OOS rate for British Columbia which is then compared to the national average.

Data reliability

Data was collected by ministry staff through random samples over 72 hours at four sites in British Columbia. The sites were consistent with prior years to ensure reliability.

Explanation of variance

The target was met. The trend shows a steady reduction in the OOS rate in British Columbia.

Objective 6

An effective risk management process is established across the ministry.

Key Strategy

Increase awareness of risk and risk management concepts and techniques through training, education and practice. Incorporate Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) into ministry planning and decision-making at all levels.

Performance Measure: Risk Management Plan

Risk management is a process for identifying and mitigating events that may have a significant impact on costs and achievement of goals and objectives. The ministry's risk management processes have been used to effectively manage operational risks for many years. In 2005/06, the ERM approach was integrated to enhance these activities. The ministry delivered a number of staff training and awareness sessions and a series of intensive workshops to achieve integration. Risks, their potential likelihood and consequences of occurrence, and possible mitigation strategies were identified. Workshop results will be considered in the continuing development of the ministry's risk management strategy.

Reporting of this measure will be discontinued in 2006/07 as it is an input measure and an intrinsic part of ministry business.

Goal 3

British Columbia's transportation industries become more competitive.

Core Business Area

Transportation Improvements.

Objective 1

Reduction or elimination of third party regulations and policies that impede British Columbia's ability to compete with other jurisdictions in the transportation market.

Key Strategy

Work with the Vancouver International Airport Authority (YVRAA) to encourage the federal government to adopt a policy of liberalized international air agreements that would allow more carriers to stop in Vancouver and either pick up or drop off passengers and goods.

Performance Measure: Progress Toward Implementation of an Amended Canada-U.S. Air Travel Agreement

This performance measure is non-traditional in that its achievement is entirely under the control of a third party (the federal government). Nevertheless, updated air agreements are critical to the growth of Vancouver International Airport (YVR) as a North American gateway.

Reporting of this measure will be discontinued in 2006/07 as the agreement is in place.

How the results are measured

Results are measured in terms of milestone events. In 2005/06, the amended Canada-U.S. air service agreement was negotiated.

Objective 2

Building on the British Columbia Ports Strategy as part of a Pacific Gateway Strategy.

Key Strategies

Performance Measure: Container Traffic (Millions, TEU)

Key service plan indicators for measuring the economic growth of British Columbia's ports included the increase in share of container traffic on the Pacific West Coast, direct jobs and economic output. The target for 2005/06 was a three per cent growth in all port system indicators over benchmarks reported in the British Columbia Ports Strategy. In recognition of data availability and reliability limitations, the results below are reported in terms of growth in actual container volumes only.

TEUs are twenty-foot equivalent units, a standard measure for containers where one TEU = one 20 foot container. This measure will be modified in 2006/07 to measure growth in container volume expressed as a percentage.

How the results are measured

Asia-Pacific container traffic volumes handled by North America's west coast ports in 2003 are included in the B.C. Ports Strategy as a benchmark against which to compare future container volumes. Updated 2005 figures from the key trading ports in B.C. have been compared with the 2003 traffic volumes.

Data reliability

Actual container traffic volumes are reported annually.

Explanation of variance

Growth in container traffic handled by British Columbia's key trading ports exceeded the target by 14 per cent. This growth is being driven by the rapid increase in Asia-Pacific container traffic, which is projected to increase 300 per cent by 2020.

Goal 4

Excellent customer service is achieved and the ministry is recognized as a good employer.

Core Business Areas

All

Objective 1

Excellent service is provided to all British Columbians.

Key Strategies

Performance Measure: Customer Satisfaction

The goal of the customer satisfaction survey program is to obtain a complete view of the ministry's service delivery. In 2005 the survey scope was expanded to include all external customers and stakeholders, internal clients and colleagues, and highway users. The combination of internal and external resources allowed for a greater number of people to be surveyed. The survey allowed the ministry to set a benchmark for service delivery with internal business units while measuring customer satisfaction against previous year performance and projected targets.

How the results are measured

Each survey respondent was asked a common set of questions. Prior year benchmark data used a ten point scale while a five point scale was used for 2005. Transitioning the measures from the previous year ten point scale to the new five point scale required a ratio factor to be developed in 2004 by administering two surveys of the same questionnaire, one in a five point scale and one in a ten point scale. The table above displays the year in the ten point scale. Future targets and actuals will be cast in the five point scale.

Data reliability

The margin of error was +/ - 1.9 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence interval for aggregate survey results, accurate to within 1.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Explanation of variance

The survey results for 2005 suggest the ministry is meeting and exceeding its goals to improve service quality and the ministry will achieve an even higher level of satisfaction in 2006.

Objective 2

Employees are provided with the support, training and working environment they need to excel at their jobs.

Key Strategies

Performance Measure: Employee Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is measured through a survey administered by BC Stats to all staff. It is a measure of the current level of employee satisfaction and of how well the ministry is progressing toward the goals outlined in the People Plan, which has evolved into an Employee Advisory Forum. Future measurements will focus on employee engagement, of which employee satisfaction is but one element.

This measure will be replaced in 2006/07 by an employee engagement measure.

 

How the results are measured

An employee survey solicits input on job satisfaction. The results are analyzed and interpreted to provide a comprehensive report.

Data reliability

The data is considered reliable and provides a good indicator of employee satisfaction. Each year that the survey is administered increases the data set and therefore the overall reliability.

Explanation of variance

This year's survey produced a five per cent negative variance with regard to employee satisfaction. The ministry's staff expanded by over 20 per cent with the addition of new program responsibilities in the early fall of 2005, just prior to the survey release. The variance can be explained at least in part by the new staff, the addition of whom improved the survey results for some questions and lowered them for others.

Deregulation

The Provincial government has committed to reducing unnecessary red tape and regulation. The goal is to produce smart regulations that cost less and are more effective, results-based and responsive to our fast changing world. The Minister of Small Business and Revenue is responsible for the regulatory reform initiative. However, each minister is responsible and accountable for regulatory reform within his or her mandate.

The Ministry of Transportation continues to support the government's deregulation and regulatory reform initiative by conducting annual reviews to look for opportunities to streamline its legislation. The current objective is to maintain the June 2004 baseline.

Progress was measured on the government-wide database that tracks all changes to the baseline count. The database is administered by the Smart Regulation Office of the Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development.

Ministry of Transportation targets were met or greatly exceeded. Introduction of the new Passenger Transportation Act and Regulation, which replaced the Motor Carrier Act and Regulation, resulted in a 56 per cent reduction in regulatory requirements for this area.