Since my election six years ago I have learned that transportation and infrastructure throughout the riding, but especially on the Southern Gulf Islands, is a perpetual concern.
As I noted in Budget Estimates to Hon. Rob Fleming (Transportation & Infrastructure), his local team in the South Island continues to be both responsive and proactive. However, with hundreds of provincially owned roads in the riding keeping up with maintenance, resurfacing, and active transportation upgrades is challenging.
Each month, I hear from dozens of constituents on all the Southern Gulf Islands about the roads and BC Ferries. I encourage you to continue to write my office so I can advocate with the Ministry team.
On Salt Spring Island, we are building momentum on the effort to improve safety for all road users on the 20km stretch of road between the Fulford Harbour and Vesuvius ferry terminals, by focusing on completing the Salish Sea Trail Network.
It’s the result of the ongoing advocacy from the public, and work my community office team has coordinated for the past three years through the Salish Sea Trail Working Group, (including CRD and Islands Trust elected representatives and staff, Island Pathways, Salt Spring Solutions, Transition Salt Spring and others).
At my invitation, Minister Fleming visited Salt Spring Island this past Friday to see the road network for himself. He met with our working group and joined me at ASK Salt Spring, answering questions from the public for two hours in the sunny meadow at Mouat’s Bike Park.
As some of you may know I have been commuting by bike for over a year now so I decided to ride to Ganges from my home in Brentwood Bay. Dozens of cyclists joined me on the trek from the Fulford ferry terminal to Ganges.
Between our stakeholder meeting with Minister Fleming, and the public meeting in the park, we covered a lot of ground. We talked about the newly released Salt Spring cycling safety review, BC Ferries service and terminals, road quality and maintenance, improving signage and road markings, and future road and surface upgrades. We got a commitment for more paint and signs this summer.
Few of the transportation and infrastructure issues we addressed were isolated to Salt Spring. I’m committed to improving safety for road users in all the communities of Saanich North and the Islands.
By accepting my invitation to visit Salt Spring, Minister Fleming got a small sample of the challenges his regional staff face on all the islands in the Salish Sea archipelago.
I’m grateful to Minister Fleming and his team for taking time to visit the Gulf Islands and I look forward to working with them to improve transportation infrastructure in all our communities.
I raise my hands in gratitude to all the Island volunteers who collaborated so effectively to ensure the visit was memorable. Planning and capturing the bike ride into Ganges, preparing and coordinating the advocacy from stakeholders, activities for the children in the bike park, all could not have been possible without the incredible collective work of the community.
HÍSW̱ḴE SÍAM!
Ask Salt Spring with Adam Olsen, MLA and Minister Rob Fleming (Transportation and Infrastructure)
Cheque presentation of $10,000 from 100 Men Who Care to Island Pathways.
Cyclists gather at Cusheon Lake road for the final stretch in to Ganges.
Celebrating active transportation at Mouats Bike Park.
Adam Olsen, MLA meeting Bryan Young from Transition Salt Spring on the morning bike ride.
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