To the Honourable the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, in Legislature Assembled:

The petition of the undersigned, the Public Access Protection Society of the province of B.C., respectfully requests that the Honourable House explore bringing two highways service areas back under direct government service in the interest of the enhanced safety and accountability of our highway maintenance program.

In June 1994, the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) published a preliminary report that studied the operational, human resource and financial implications of the privatized highway maintenance in B.C. The review team’s research into the cost of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s (MOTI) original program and the cost of the privatization program yielded the conclusion that the privatization program cost more than would have been the case had the ministry continued its program unchanged. The research concluded that the ministry could better understand the differences in cost and effectiveness of highway maintenance had it retained at least two contract areas under ministry control.

In the interest of improving our highway maintenance program for enhanced safety and accountability, the Public Access Protection Society is calling on the provincial government to follow suit, and direct MOTI to retain a minimum of two service areas, either as a Crown Corporation or direct government service, to maintain the knowledge and experience within the ministry and to ensure cost effective services are provided for all stakeholders. This would also enable the ministry to be in a state of readiness to step in and deliver highway maintenance services directly in areas where service delivery has failed.

The Public Access Protection Society’s objectives include advocating for, and facilitating access to, all public roads and trails in British Columbia, and to ensure the government properly maintains such roads and trails. The ministry’s mandate is: “to allow for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods.” As such, the Society also calls on the provincial government to hold all highway maintenance contracts to the standards in the maintenance agreements as the essential foundation for the safe travel of the public, and of goods and services including transportation for medical services.

To serve the taxpayers appropriately, our roads must be maintained with safety as a top priority.