Now that harvest is over, David Marit is turning his attention from low grain prices to high transportation costs.
The South Central Transportation Planning Committee chaired by the Fife Lake, Sask., farmer believes it could lose most of its branch line system and all primary elevators in the region.
Under that worst-case scenario, the committee estimates trucking costs would rise by $4.3 million a year, a 58 percent increase for farmers in the region that stretches from the Qu’Appelle Valley to the United States border and from Highway 2 to Weyburn.
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Part of the focus of the eight members on the committee is to work with communities that are trying to retain branch lines through the creation of short-line railways.
Another project, which is taking up most of the committee’s time these days, is road priority. Committee members are trying to pinpoint how future elevator and branch line closures will affect traffic flows in their region. Then they can give government a pecking order of where they would like to see highways department money spent.
Daryl Nixon is the department of highway’s liaison with the various regional transportation planning committees. So far seven have formed in the province and there’s room for two more in the north and two more in the south.
Nixon said the committees only have an advisory function.
“They don’t make any decisions about how the money gets allocated or anything like that.”
In all likelihood the committees will continue to be limited to an advisory role, said Nixon. But they have an opportunity to become good facilitators as they grow and mature.
“The one thing that these groups have the opportunity to do is to consolidate local opinion and local lobbying efforts.”
They are important because they provide an overview of the transportation system instead of coming at the issue from a railway perspective or department of highway’s view or that of a municipality, said Nixon. Since rural traffic patterns are becoming more regional in nature as schools, hospitals, grain elevators and equipment dealers consolidate, it is important to have input from a group with a regional focus.
The South West Transportation Planning Council was the first committee in the province. Formed about four years ago, the group has already done a lot of work and will be submitting a detailed strategic road development plan to the government within six weeks.
Most groups are just starting, said Nixon. He thinks it will be a few years before they are familiar enough with the issues in their region to provide the government with recommendations.
