Editor:
The April 1 issue of Coast Reporter mentioned the 2° Institute’s call for consumers to buy electric cars (“Group launches electric car campaign,” page 24). To quote Institute founder Ryan Logtenberg, “Climate scientists are consistently informing us that we need to act fast … electric cars are a way that ordinary people can help create the change that must happen.” On their Electric Car Pledge website (www.electricpledge.org), they are aiming for one million pledges by the end of 2017. They are also seeking donations (totaling $10,000) to “get the ball rolling with hiring a campaign manager and marketing firm to develop a successful crowd funding campaign.”
While I applaud this initiative as one way for (rich) people to address climate change, a more comprehensive transportation vision would include low-cost options for the rest of us. The SCRD has been taking some very positive steps in this direction (“SCRD briefs,” page 18). The first is an amendment to the Transit Service Establishing Bylaw to authorize an increased transit levy from 28 cents to 35 cents per $1,000 in assessed value. This move was necessitated by a reduction in funding by BC Transit that created a deficit of $129,477 in 2015. Second, they are supporting the re-establishment of some commercial bus service from Vancouver to Powell River. Thank you to the SCRD board!
I’d like to call on consumers to take the Pedal Pledge by pledging to replace their cars with electric bicycles. No donations are requested. A consumer review of the top 10 electric bikes, which retail from $1,199 to $6,700, is at: electricbikereview.com/top-10-electric-bikes
A collection of diverse strategies such as these is needed to generate a comprehensive transportation vision to help slow the pace of global warming.
Valerie Ruhe, Sechelt
