Whereas active transportation has not been included as a priority in the most recent Mandate Letter for the Minister of Transportation and Transit; And whereas the Ministry is falling behind BC municipalities in creating safe pedestrian and cycling supportive policies and amenities on Ministry-owned roads in electoral areas across BC, often leaving critical gaps and connections to and between nearby municipalities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM advocate to the Premier and Minister of Transportation and Transit to: - Explicitly include active transportation as a core Ministry priority in the Ministry of Transportation and Transit mandate letter, with direction that this priority applies to rural and semi-rural contexts outside of and between municipalities as well as urban areas; - Review and amend provincial active transportation policies, guidelines, and standards to explicitly address rural and semi-rural road conditions outside of municipalities, including constrained rights-of-way and safety considerations, and to amend the BC Supplement to Transportation Association of Canada TAC Geometric Design Guide where it does not adequately support active transportation infrastructure in rural and semi-rural areas outside of municipalities, in order to address the current disconnect between road operations and active transportation objectives; - Develop and implement a formalized, cross-departmentalorganizational framework for collaboration between the Ministry of Transportation and Transit and Regional Districts to align Ministry capital projects with Regional District active transportation priorities, leverage funding and delivery opportunities, and ensure accountability and consistency in advancing shared rural active transportation, safety, and community connectivity objectives.
