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Sustainability Action Areas

Currently we have sustainability activities underway in the following areas: agricultural land and food security, community resiliency and well-being, emergency response and community preparedness, energy, health care, housing and multi-level seniors care, sustainable economics: community currency, transportation priorities and actions, and water. To see what each group is up to click on the individual topic.

Transportation Priorities and Actions

January 29, 2010, meeting update

One objective of the Transportation group is to increase paths for bikes, walking and electric vehicles on or near road shoulders. As a first step, on January 29th, the Local Islands Trust Committee was requested to undertake a Bicycle Route Plan for the Island. The LTC fully supported us moving ahead with the creation of the Gabriola Cycle Route Plan and will be ready to receive it at their meeting at the end of March. Anyone interested in attending the next planning meeting on February 8 to provide input should contact Jim Ramsay at 247-9374.

Another objective is to establish public transit on Gabriola. Considerable work has been done to date in surveying Gabriolans about their transportation habits, and preparing some of the groundwork. BC Transit has undertaken to prepare a feasibility study. Discussions are continuing with BC Transit and the RDN for funding support. In addition, work on a biodiesel processor is continuing.

Background

Contact People: Judith Roux, Jim Ramsay Fay Weller

Individuals and organizations involved: Jim Ramsay, Judith Roux, Fay Weller, Victor Anthony/Green Bike Program, Public Transit Task Force, Gabriola Commons, Island Futures, Gabriola Transportation Association, Gabriola Land and Trails Trust (GaLTT)

Priorities:

Priorities identified in discussions with others who have expressed an interest in this topic include the following (these are all deemed as priorities and work together – not listed in order of priority):

  • Public Transit (fuelled by WVO biodiesel)
  • Green Bike Program
  • Walking Trails
  • Support for sustainable transportation modes off Gabriola (i.e. Rail line used more extensively on Vancouver Island)

The following actions are currently underway:

Public Transit

During the summer of 2008 many residents provided their $100 Climate Change Dividend to support the feasibility of having a bus on Gabriola and for a trial run of the bus.

In the fall of 2008 there was a transportation survey of island residents to determine transportation patterns and use as well as determine the feasibility of public transit on Gabriola. The results indicate that a public transit system is feasible on Gabriola Island.

A public meeting was held and from that a task force was formed to determine the details such as schedule, governance, rates, route and funding for public transit on Gabriola. A submission has been made to MOST (Moving on Sustainable Transportation, Government of Canada) for funding of a trial run of the bus. Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) converted into biodiesel will be used to fuel the bus.

Island Futures in partnership with the Gabriola Commons submitted an application for a Canada Student Summer Employment position to carry out biodiesel project – a processor will be built on the Commons and WVO from the Island’s restaurants will be used to produce biodiesel for the bus.

Green Bikes

The Gabriola Green Bikes Project is the brainchild of long time island resident Hank Sirlin. The idea is to put a free bicycle under the butt of every Gabriolan or visitor who wants to use one for an hour, an afternoon, or a weekend. GGBP is modelled after other public bicycle initiatives around North America, most notably the Yellow Bikes Project in Portland, Oregon.

There are now 35 donated bikes and we need volunteers who are willing to fix them up so that we can get them on the road. Email Victory Anthony at victorsez@gmail.com if you can help out.

Walking Trails

GaLTT’s overarching vision is to have a series of interconnecting trails linking from Drumbeg to Descanso. As part of this vision, GaLTT also emphasizes the importance of trails that connect neighbourhoods. Currently GaLTT has many priority projects in support of this vision. A few examples are:

  • Creating a road side trail in the Tunnel from Elder Cedar Nature Reserve to the corner of the 707 which intersects with North Road;
  • Maintaining the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve for safe access by removing dangerous trail obstacles and removing non-native invasive plants;
  • Hosting bi-weekly trail work parties on various public access trails around the island (e.g. MacDonald connectors, Petroglyph trail, beach accesses etc.); and,
  • Working with BC Parks to remove the non-native invasive plants in Drumbeg Provincial Park.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with trail maintenance. If you would like to be involved in any of these projects, contact Randy Young at ranyoung@shaw.ca . For more information about GaLTT, please contact Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley at ddfarley@shaw.ca or go to our website www.galtt.ca.

Sustainable Gabriola Community Forum

October 24, 2009

The following is a summary of the discussion held at the October 24th Sustainable Gabriola Community Forum. There are many groups and individuals on the island contributing to this topic area and we would like to acknowledge that work. Please feel free to email us specific actions that have been accomplished and those that are underway and we will post them on the site. It is hoped that the following points from our October 24th discussion will build on the work that has been done.

Transportation

CONVENOR:

PARTICIPANTS:

Victor Anthony, Cameron Murray, Derek Kilbourn, Wild Iris Dragonwoman, Timothy Mailka, Steve Earle, Erik Anderson, Jim Ramsey, Fay Weller

Goals:

Increase ease of all forms of zero to low GHG emission travel while reducing vehicle travel

Objectives:

  • Increase ease of cycling as mode of transportation
  • Increase ease of walking as mode of transportation
  • Establish public transit on Gabriola
  • Encourage electric vehicles
  • Increase interconnections between cycling, walking & public transit both on Gabriola and into Nanaimo

Short and Long Term Actions:

A. Long term Action: Increase paths for bikes, walking and electric vehicles on shoulder or beside roads.

Short term action: Set up meeting with relevant jurisdictions (RDN, MTI and IT) to determine who has what responsibility in establishing the bike paths and what type of funding is available.

Responsibility: Those of us at the session

B. Long term action: Increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists through reducing speed of vehicles.

Short term actions:

  • Public education (i.e. article in newspaper) about reducing speed limit in order to make it safer to ride a bike or walk
  • Look into reducing the speed limit in the village core area (part of (a) discussion)
  • Look into potential to separate higher and lower speed vehicles

Responsibility: Cyclists and other organizations working on no carbon transit

C. Long term action: Network of paths enabling people to walk from one end of the island to the other.

Short term action: GALTT continues activities towards achieving this long term action with support from Parks and Recreation Open Space Advisory Committee and the rest of us that want to see the trails in place

Responsibility: GALTT, PROSAC and the rest of us through support

D. Long Term action: Establish bus on Gabriola

Short term action: Strongly support recommendation to RDN that public transit system be established on Gabriola Island

Responsibility: Public transit committee & task force – and the rest of us through support

E. Long term action: Determine how best to use those potential paths or roads that are currently designated as “right of ways”.

Short term actions:

  • At meeting (action a) determine what the barriers are to establishing an emergency road from Phase IV to village and support those organizations attempting to establish the link (FID).
  • Identify unused “right of ways” on the island and determine whether they are feasible to use as walking or bike paths.

F. Long term action: Integrate low to no carbon transportation for Gabriolans

Short term actions:

  • Groups working on various no to low transportation modes discuss ways to integrate various systems
  • Advocate integrated bus and ferry fares

Responsibility: Green Bikes Program, GALTT, Island Futures, Commons, RDN transit, Transportation Association

G. Long term action: All map makers mark walking trails on the map not just vehicle routes

Short term actions: Groups producing maps use GALTT map to mark trails

Responsibility: Gabriola Arts Council, Chamber of Commerce, GALTT

H. Long term action: Increased covered parking for bike

Short term action: Establish bike racks under shelter in commercial areas

Responsibility: Owners of Commercial Buildings

Measuring Success:

  1. Reduction in number of vehicles registered on Gabriola Island
  2. Increased number of residents indicating cycling as transportation mode
  3. Increased number of residents indicating walking as transportation mode
  4. Increased number of residents indicating use of public transit system
  5. Public transit on Gabriola