The Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan has reached a milestone today after the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako passed a para-transit bylaw along with an agreement with BC Transit.
“Now BC Transit and the ministry are going to be working closely with our staff at the regional district on things such as the schedule and the route. There are a lot of things that have to be worked out,” says Chair of the Transit Committee Taylor Bachrach. “It’s taken a lot of years and a lot of different voices advocating for a better transportation service.
We’re very hopeful that in the next few months we’re going to see a significant improvement in the safety of our highway,” says Bachrach.
The regional district will now be working with BC Transit to find a third party operating partner.
The bylaw with the district will include all of its respective municipalities and different First Nations communities to be a part of the proposed service.
“It’s breaking new ground. I think it’s going to lead to very positive things in the future,” says Bachrach, about the first time the district is working with First Nations directly.
The transportation network will see services running from Prince George to Rupert rolling through Bulkley-Nechako. A significant leg of the service will see a route from Burns Lake to Smithers, making both communities a hub of the network.
The Ministry of Transportation has committed to covering 100 per cent of the capital cost of three busses and 2/3rds operational funding. A transit coordinator position will also be funded for three years.