The Capital Regional District (CRD) has launched an online survey to gather public input on a new Regional Transportation Plan that will guide how people and goods move around southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands for the next three decades, and Salt Spring Island residents are being encouraged to have their say.
The survey, available at GetInvolved.crd.bc.ca/MovingTogether, opened June 15 and runs through July 5, 2026. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete and asks residents to share their transportation priorities and everyday experiences getting around the region.
Dean Murdock, Mayor of Saanich and Chair of the CRD Transportation Committee, said transportation touches every part of daily life. “How people move across the region influences access to jobs, schools, healthcare, housing, recreation, and services,” Murdock said. The CRD wants to hear from people in all 13 municipalities and three electoral areas, including Salt Spring Island.
The current Regional Transportation Plan has been in place since 2014, and the CRD says significant regional growth means it is time for an update. In June 2025, the CRD Board created a new Regional Transportation Service with three main goals: get more people walking, cycling, and using transit; cut carbon pollution; and ease congestion. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the region.
Salt Spring Island, as an unincorporated electoral area, has its own Local Community Commission that oversees island transportation projects and advises BC Transit on local service. Gary Holman, the island’s Electoral Area Director and Vice Chair of that commission, was a driving force behind its creation. The island also completed its own Active Transportation Network Plan in 2023, with more than 500 people giving input on making Ganges Village more walkable and bike-friendly.
CRD staff will use the survey results, along with earlier input from municipal partners, Indigenous groups, and University of Victoria students, to draft the new plan. A draft is expected to be shared for more public feedback before a final version goes to the CRD Board for approval in late 2027.
