Media Release: CleanBC Review directs government to cleaner, safer and more affordable transportation direction

The newly released independent CleanBC Review shows how implementing the existing CleanBC plan would improve affordability, health, and safety.

“Protecting children and future generations from climate disasters can make life better and more affordable now,” said Eric Doherty, BC Climate Emergency Campaign transportation working group lead. “The Review points out that improving public transit, walking, rolling and cycling makes life more affordable, while also reducing carbon pollution.”

“As the Review points out, the public health benefits of active transportation investments exceed the cost, even without counting the benefit of reducing climate pollution,” said Doherty.

The Review notes that BC’s three-year budget for active transportation infrastructure (walking, rolling and cycling) province-wide amounts to only 0.2% of the $5 billion budget for widening Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley. Widening busy highways makes congestion worse and increases greenhouse gas pollution.

“B.C. must get serious about the heavy financial and personal burden of our car dependency. We fully endorse the Independent Review’s call to establish a sustainable, permanent funding model for active transportation and transit and incorporate new indicators for e-bikes sales, active travel paths, sidewalks and transit use. Relying solely on electric cars is a failure of vision. True climate leadership is investing in infrastructure and programs to enable people of all ages, abilities and socio-economic backgrounds to walk, bike, roll and take transit more often. It’s the single best way to cut emissions while simultaneously delivering immediate relief on affordability and public health”, said Navdeep Chhina, Director Campaigns and Inclusion, HUB Cycling.

"Expanding transit is the fastest tool we have to reduce pollution, and we have evidence,” said Denis Agar, Executive Director, Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders. “Simply increasing bus frequency in suburban Surrey has led to 6 million new transit trips in 2024 alone. That prevented thousands of tons of CO2 from being emitted, and helped hundreds of thousands of people save money. Transit expansion is the climate solution that is also a cost-of-living solution."

“The review missed the opportunity to recommend a BC-wide transit system that would connect rural and remote communities, which the Unions of BC Indian Chiefs has called for,” said Guy Dauncey, from the West Coast Climate Action Network. “Free transit for teens and seniors, which BC NDP delegates endorsed at their recent convention, is also missing.”  

The Review, by Merran Smith and Dan Woynillowicz, points out that “transportation-sector stakeholders expressed uniform disappointment that the province did not deliver its long-promised Clean Transportation Action Plan, despite significant consultation.” It also calls for “a sustainable funding model—outside the CleanBC funding envelope—to provide a permanent solution to ensure sustainable funding to support investments in increased active transportation and public transit use.”

The BC Climate Emergency Campaign, whose call for BC to implement 10 urgent climate actions has now been endorsed by over 600 civil society groups, has a transportation working group that submitted an open letter endorsed by 46 groups to the CleanBC Review. The open letter emphasizes the importance of affordable public transit between communities across the province, and listening to older seniors and people with disabilities who do not drive.

The CleanBC Review is available at https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/121/2025/11/CleanBC-Independent-Review-Final-Report-November-2025.pdf