Transportation Choices Sunshine Coast (TraC) partnered with Vancouver Coastal Health and the Sunshine Coast Regional District to put on an Active Transportation forum for rural and semi-rural communities at the Roberts Creek hall on Sept. 16.
TraC president Tim Howard was energized by the forum.
“TraC would like to see active transportation embraced as part of our local culture here on the Sunshine Coast,” Howard said. “Our goal is to build momentum towards better transportation choices and active, healthy communities, one success at a time.”
Participants from the areas of Whistler, Squamish, Bowen Island, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Bella Coola and Hawaii convened for the day to learn, connect and share experiences to further active transportation efforts in their communities. Contributions from local government elected officials and staff, health, community cycling organizations, tourism, Ministry of Transportation, and private consultants combined to create an atmosphere of action-oriented conversation and idea making.
“One of TraC’s current projects is the Coastal Bike Route, which taps into the cyclo-tourism economy,” Howard said. “As a spin-off benefit, we’ll gain improvements in road infrastructure for all to be able to bike and walk safely on our roads.”
Four key messages came out of the forum: that transportation is the backbone of a community; when considering health costs and tourism and local economic benefits, investing in active transportation makes sense; limited funds need to be used creatively and efficiently; and communities need to work collaboratively, say yes, take some risks and try out demonstration projects.
TraC aims to encourage as many people as possible to get around on bikes, by walking, or taking the bus, as alternatives to single occupancy cars.
