New Westminster city councillor Jonathan Cote recently took up a car free challenge issued by the blog City Caucus, which asked Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors to give up their car keys for a week. Cote was one of only a few to take up the challenge.
I started off my car-free challenge by handing over my keys to the acting city manager, Rick Page.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect in the week ahead.
When I had signed up for this challenge in June, I thought I would be working that week.
I am fortunate to live within a 30 minute walk (10-20 minute bike ride) to my regular work and only a 10 minute walk to city hall. So I wasn’t that concerned about being able to complete this challenge. Yet as it turns out, I had this week off, and with two young daughters and many family outings planned, the challenge became that much more difficult.
With New Westminster being the geographical centre of Metro Vancouver, transportation issues are always front and center. As a city, we have one of the highest percentage of transit users, but we also have the distinction of being one of the most congested cities in the region. New Westminster City Council frequently discusses transportation issues and tries to promote alternative forms of transportation such as transit, cycling and walking.
This is one of the main reasons that I felt it was important to sign up for this challenge.
My first real test for the car free challenge came with the opening of the Moody Park Pool—about a 25 minute walk from my house. Nothing too staggering, but with my two daughters Renee (21 months) and Leah (four months) along, I had a few more logistics to plan out. Definitely a trip that I would normally have used a car for. The first thing I noticed was how nice it was to not have to load everything into our sweltering hot car. Yet, we were now faced with the task of walking in that same heat. Luckily my wife is an expert at planning walking trips in the shade. We found some beautiful tree cover on St. Patrick Street which was pleasant. The second thing I noticed was the lack of curb cuts in my neighbourhood. I am sure anyone who has pushed a double stroller on sidewalks without curb cuts knows how annoying this is. Despite this annoyance, we arrived five minutes early for the grand opening of the Moody Park Pool.
After being invited over to the in-laws for dinner, my wife and I thought it might be interesting to compare a car trip vs. transit. We both left the house at the exact same time. I knew right away as she blew by me in the car at 30 km/hour that this would be a tough race for me to win. Once I got onto the SkyTrain though, I knew I was gaining on her. Before leaving I had looked up the route to Surrey on TransLink’s website, a very useful way to plan a trip anywhere on transit. After getting off the SkyTrain at the King George station. Although I had missed my connection, another bus came almost right away. The next major obstacle came when I arrived in Fleetwood. The neighbourhood has a lot relatively new townhouse developments. My issue is that all of these developments seem to only have one entrance/exit. Not a problem if you are traveling by car, but if you are walking, finding a direct route can be almost impossible. I found it very frustrating being able to almost see the complex where my in-laws live and then being forced to walk all the way around a mega block just to get to it. The final result: Car: 26 minutes, Transit: 49 minutes.
Although the transit trip definitely took me longer, I was pleased by the frequency of buses in Surrey on a Sunday night.
Given that I live about a 15 minute walk from a SkyTrain station, heading to downtown Vancouver is a trip that I normally take by transit. Since having kids though, we go downtown far less frequently. So when we got invited to a BBQ in the big city, I thought this would be a great chance to try public transit with the kids. The elevators on the Expo line are a major deterrent for young families to use SkyTrain. After holding our breath, we made it to the platform and began our trip downtown. Renee was fascinated by all the people and the interesting scenery out the window. Definitely more exciting than a boring old car ride. Leah slept through her entire first trip on SkyTrain. On the way home, we took a bus up the hill. I haven’t regularly taken the bus since university and I'd say buses have improved significantly. The at-grade entry was perfect for being able to get the stroller on and off the bus.
One of the most interesting things about this challenge has been how people have reacted to me upon finding out that I would be going car free for a week. Generally everyone has been supportive and interested. Yet I have also been faced with some shock and skepticism.
We had planned to go for lunch with my grandparents at Lonsdale Quay, but when I told my grandma about the challenge, her reaction was that we would have no choice but to reschedule.
As it turns out the SeaBus was one of the highlights on transit for the week, although it was difficult keeping Renee in her seat.
I was also surprised about the genuine concern by some about our personal safety on transit. At no point in the entire week did we ever feel unsafe while traveling on transit, yet there is definitely a perception issue out there.
In sum, living car-free for a week was interesting. Although alternative forms of transportation may not be as convenient, I found our trips much more enjoyable. You experience a street differently if you walk or cycle through it compared to driving. On our walk home from the Moody Park Pool, we made an unplanned stop at the library and took out a couple of books.
These unplanned and spontaneous stops ended up being common on our trips around town. Sometimes I think we are so focused on getting to where we are going that we forget that getting there can be half the fun.
From. http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/opinion/52529092.html
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