More thoughts on transportation planning

Although I can't travel from town to town, I do attend as many meetings here as possible, plus I am very involved with the E&N Days Committee as well.  I have also been on TV, Newspapers and now Radio (mostly promoting my Grandfather's streetcar models, but I get asked on other rail and transit matters). My contacts range from developers, media, politics, post secondary, historical, to rail and transit. I have done and assisted in several presentations (most notably in front of BC Transit and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure last hear.)
But I can't do it all myself, we need as many people out there pressuring our elected officials, the media and educating the general public. Just as one friend told me, we need to be as aggressive as the bike lobby, attending meetings left, right and center. :)
We need to change our per-conceived notions about transit planning. We need a holistic approach to planning our transportation future on this island. The purpose of transit and rail service on this island should not be to make money but to serve the public good (drivers and non-drivers, young and old, male and female, rich and poor), to help in improving the environmental, social and economical facets of our society. Transportation is but one of many tools to make this happen.
I guess its the chicken and the egg concept, they say you need people to ride the service, but if the service is not there, you won't have the people. I myself or anyone else is not saying that we need a service that is every 5 minutes, that is transit's job in the urban areas. A combination of tourist, commuter (that is talored to the E&N), intercity and freight services are needed (having only one won't work).
Plus I would like to say that a successful transportation system is one that uses ALL modes of travel; rail, bus, cycling, walking, taxi, car, ferry. Which means we all have to work together. Many would use the service on the E&N if it was properly provided (the current service doesn't quite cut it).

Food for Thought.