Transportation
Truck Trips by Ferry
Inbound commercial traffic to Swartz Bay from Tsawwassen was relatively stable between 2005 and 2007 but then declined by 4.9% in 2008. In contrast, outbound commercial traffic to Tsawwassen from Swartz Bay grew from 2005 to 2008 and was down only very slightly in 2008 from 2007.
Both inbound and outbound semi-truck trips have declined year-over-year in all but one year (2007). This is most dramatic for inbound semi-truck traffic, which was 6.8% lower in 2008 than in 2007.
Commercial traffic on BC Ferries provides a measure of freight flows to and from Greater Victoria.
Changes in the flows indicate changes in demand for goods, changes in exports from the area or changes in the trucking industry itself, which is affected by fuel prices, ferry fares, and other factors.
|
Commercial Ferry Traffic |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Change 2007 to 2008 |
|
Inbound (to Swartz Bay) |
|
||||
|
Semi-trucks |
31,087 |
30,285 |
30,766 |
28,684 |
-6.8% |
|
Total Commercial Vehicles |
48,917 |
48,278 |
49,971 |
47,538 |
-4.9% |
|
Outbound (from Swartz Bay) |
|
||||
|
Semi-trucks |
25,218 |
24,804 |
26,187 |
25,800 |
-1.5% |
|
Total Commercial Vehicles |
43,471 |
42,861 |
45,788 |
45,601 |
-0.4% |
| Source: BC Ferries | |||||
Commercial Aircraft Movements
Commercial aircraft movements have been increasing at both Victoria Harbour and Victoria International Airport, growing by 22% and 3% respectively between 2003 and 2007.
Relative to Vancouver, both harbour and airport traffic grew at a faster rate in 2007. Over the previous four years, however, Victoria Harbour traffic has grown much faster than Vancouver Harbour traffic, while Victoria International Airport growth has been slower than Vancouver International Airport growth (although they operate at far different scales and serve different markets, so the comparison has limited validity).
Traffic through the harbour is primarily domestic (99%), with a small trans-border component. At the international airport, domestic accounts for 92% of traffic, followed by trans-border at 7% and non-US international destinations at 1%.
Aircraft movements are indicative of the level of commercial activity and tourist visits in an area. Over time they also reflect changes in airport capacity and the appeal of air travel relative to other forms of travel.
|
Commercial Aircraft Movements |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
Change 2006 to 2007 |
Change 2003 to 2007 |
|
Victoria Harbour |
32,059 |
32,220 |
35,782 |
37,133 |
38,990 |
5% |
22% |
|
Victoria International |
73,705 |
74,846 |
75,164 |
70,870 |
76,117 |
7% |
3% |
|
Vancouver Harbour |
58,420 |
54,044 |
56,632 |
60,356 |
61,810 |
2% |
6% |
|
Vancouver International |
272,569 |
297,853 |
305,708 |
304,006 |
309,207 |
2% |
13% |
| Source: NAV CANADA Towers and Flight Service Stations: Annual Report (TP 577), 2007 | |||||||
Registered Motor Vehicles
The number of vehicles registered in Greater Victoria has been increasing while the number of vehicles per capita has fluctuated in the 0.46-0.49 range.
The number of commercial vehicles has grown at a much faster rate than passenger vehicles since 1998.
Relative to the province as a whole, the number of passenger vehicles grew at a slower rate over the period of 2000-2008 while the number of commercial vehicles grew faster.
Registered Passenger Vehicles per capita
Number of vehicles in a region provides an indication of the transportation options available to residents and businesses.
Where there are fewer alternatives to private vehicles, passenger vehicles per capita will be higher.
|
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Change 2007 to 2008 |
Change 2003 to 2008 |
|
|
BC Passenger Vehicles |
1,828,770 |
1,870,855 |
1,917,802 |
1,946,715 |
1,995,273 |
2,022,397 |
1.4% |
10.6% |
|
Commercial Vehicles |
589,314 |
603,007 |
616,952 |
639,125 |
663,568 |
666,130 |
0.4% |
13.0% |
|
Passenger Vehicles/capita |
0.44 |
0.45 |
0.46 |
0.46 |
0.46 |
0.46 |
0.00 |
0.02 |
|
Greater Victoria Passenger Vehicles |
161,454 |
160,358 |
166,571 |
166,509 |
168,707 |
168,555 |
-0.1% |
4.4% |
|
Commercial Vehicles |
40,302 |
39,824 |
42,157 |
43,512 |
45,088 |
45,226 |
0.3% |
12.2% |
|
Passenger Vehicles/capita |
0.49 |
0.48 |
0.49 |
0.49 |
0.49 |
0.48 |
-0.01 |
-0.01 |
| Source: Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), Prepared by BC Stats. | ||||||||
Median Commuting Distance to Work
The median work commute for those employed in Greater Victoria was 4.6 km in 2006, a slight drop from the median commute of 4.7 km in both 1996 and 2001. This is the shortest median commute of Canada's top 20 metro areas, an improvement from 3rd place in 1996 and 2nd place in 2001.
Commutes are much shorter in Greater Victoria than in Metro Vancouver, although these two BC cities are the only ones to experience a reduced median commute over both the last 5 years and the last 10 years.
Median Commuting Distance (km)
Median commuting distance to work is an indication of the efficiency of land development and transportation infrastructure that affects how close residents are able to live to their jobs.
Shorter commutes also positively affect quality of life since they save money and leave more time for leisure activities.
|
Median Commuting Distance (km) |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
Change 1996-2001 |
Change 2001-2006 |
Change 1996-2006 |
|
BC |
6.4 |
6.4 |
6.5 |
0 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
|
Greater Victoria |
4.7 |
4.7 |
4.6 |
0 |
-0.1 |
-0.1 |
|
Metro Vancouver |
7.7 |
7.6 |
7.4 |
-0.1 |
-0.2 |
-0.3 |
|
Greater Victoria Rank among Canada's Top 20 Metro Areas (shortest ranked 1st) |
3 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
| Source: Statistics Canada Census. | ||||||
Transit Ridership
Transit ridership in Greater Victoria is higher than for Metro Vancouver when measured by passengers per service hour. Greater Victoria had 33.7 passengers per service hour in 2007/08 compared to 29.5 in Metro Vancouver. Both metro areas have higher transit ridership than the aggregate rate of 26.4 passengers per service hour in other municipal systems in BC.
Over time, transit usage is trending upward, although passengers per service hour in Victoria dropped in the most recent year due to increased service levels that were not matched by a proportionate increase in ridership.
Passengers per Service Hour
Public transit ridership is an indication of the viability of alternatives to the private automobile. Use of public transit is also increasingly desirable from a sustainability perspective.
|
Unemployment Rate |
2002/03 |
2003/04 |
2004/05 |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
Change 06-07 to 07-08 |
|
Other BC Systems* Passengers/Service Hour |
24.3 |
25 |
25.1 |
25.1 |
26.1 |
26.4 |
0.3 |
|
Rides/Capita |
21.2 |
21.8 |
23.4 |
1.6 |
|||
|
Greater Victoria Passengers/Service Hour |
33.7 |
34.6 |
35 |
36 |
35.1 |
33.7 |
-1.4 |
|
Rides/Capita |
62.2 |
63.6 |
64.6 |
1.0 |
|||
|
Metro Vancouver Passengers/Service Hour |
27.2 |
29.1 |
30.2 |
29.9 |
29.5 |
29.5 |
0.0 |
|
*BC Transit is responsible for 52 municipal transit systems throughout BC, not including those in Greater Victoria or Metro Vancouver. Source: BC Transit Annual Reports, TransLink Annual Reports. |
|||||||
Sustainable Commuting to Work (Transit, Biking, Walking)
More than one-quarter of commuting trips to work in Greater Victoria in 2006 were via sustainable modes (public transit, biking or walking). The percentage of sustainable trips increased by 1.4 percentage points over 2001 and is higher than both Metro Vancouver and the BC average.
In the national context, Greater Victoria has the 4th highest percentage of sustainable work commutes among Canada's top 20 metro areas. The increase from 2001 to 2006 was the 6th largest.
Using public transit, riding a bicycle and walking are considered to be more environmentally-friendly and hence sustainable, as opposed to riding in a private automobile.
|
Sustainable Commuting to Work |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
Change 1996-2001 |
Change 2001-2006 |
Change 1996-2006 |
|
BC |
17.7% |
16.6% |
19.2% |
-1.1 pp |
2.6 pp |
1.5 pp |
|
Greater Victoria |
24.5% |
24.9% |
26.3% |
0.4 pp |
1.4 pp |
1.7 pp |
|
Metro Vancouver |
21.8% |
19.8% |
24.5% |
-2.0 pp |
4.6 pp |
2.6 pp |
|
Greater Victoria RANK among Canada's Top 20 Metro Areas (shortest ranked 1st) |
4 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
6 |
4 |
| Source: Statistics Canada Census. | ||||||