Moving on up!

Over the next day or too, all content will be moved from here, over to the new website!

The address is goldenactivetransportation.com.

If you would like to guest blog or anything, please let me know and i will see what we can do. We are always looking for more ways to get the message out to people!

Fall update

Hope everyone, hope you had a great summer. The Active Transportation group has been quite busy other the last few months. 

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Update

We have been talking with MOTI about getting signage changed on the bridge over the Kicking Horse river. Whilst agreeing in principal and ordering the signs, they have yet to appear. So we are still working with them to get the signs up.

Golden Hill update

We have received plans from Focus group on the construction of a trail that is grade separated all the way down Golden Hill. TOG has had discussions with both Kicking Horse Canyon Project and the Honourable Minister Shirley Bond for MOTI about the hill. They have advised us that it is a go ahead! This is a particularly import piece of infrastructure as it links Pine Drive with town and has the opportunity to reduce t he car dependency up on Pine Drive. We are awaiting formal confirmation. However the Minister had a meeting with the Mayor Christina Benty and various council memebers, at UBCM (Union of British Columbia Municipalities) about the project. We are very excited that this has the go ahead, as it has the opportunity to change many lives and make Golden truly connected! 

Safe Routes to school

Before summer we began talks with Lady Grey Elementary and SD6 Operations department about encouraging walking and biking among other things for their students year round. We thought it was prudent to target Kids as starting them off on a healthy footing is a life long trait that they can carry on. The school is instituting a 20 minute "workout" in the morning to get kids awake and active. Research as shown that kids that are awake and healthy are more focused and take in the material that is being presented to them. With this in mind we would like to work on making it safer for kids to walk to school.

 

Crossing guards

Part of the Safe Routes to school is creating a safe path for kids to cross from one side of the highway to other. Active Transportation is looking at how we can get crossing guards at the lights and also at the crossing on 11th St S. This would not only slow down traffic on Highway 95 but also make people more aware that kids are crossing the highway. This could possibly be done on a volunteer basis with parents on a rotation or other means. 

 

Pace Car program

The Pace Car program has proven to be effective in Nova Scotia at reducing speeding and calming traffic. Making it safe and more friendly to use forms of Active Transportation. From the Saferoutesns.ca website:

"The Pace Car program helps stop speeding on neighbourhood streets. It’s simple – drivers in your community sign the Pace Car pledge, and then proudly display the official Pace Car emblems on their cars. By agreeing to drive within the speed limit, cars become “mobile speed bumps,” slowing the traffic behind them. Drivers also agree to be more aware of and courteous to other road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists. Many Pace Cars can effectively calm traffic throughout your neighbourhood. The more people who join, the better it works!"

Community Bike Program

TOG is working on establishing a community bike program. Where you can rent a bike from a station in town, use it and then return it to another location in town. This will be a semi automated system. We are one of the first in BC or western Canada to use this system, so it will be great to see it up and running. The bikes are awaiting their custom powder coating, and will be ready for action next spring. Keep an eye out for them around town! If you have any questions regarding this, please contact Sarah Wegelin at the town or i can direct you in the right direction. 

Bike Valet 

The bike valet program was a success this year at the Summer Kicks Program. So much so that the racks were over flowing at several concerts. It is hoped that the Valet will occur next year and be possibly be expanded to include the farmer market and any community event. If you have a community event, we can come and setup outside. There is no charge to this service. Donations are welcome though, and go toward Active Transportation funding. 

Logo

We now have a logo! Check it on Flickr, or on the Facebook group!

Meetings

I will be presenting at the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services and also at the Parents Advisory Committee meeting tomorrow. If you would like to attend, contact me and i will give you the locations and times.

Get Involved!

All the projects that Active Transportation group has going need help in getting them started and running. We need help writing grants for various programs. If you would like to Volunteer in anyway please contact me and we can discuss options. 

Thanks.

Luke 

Dutch Biking

Does this feel like you sometimes?



This video comes from a very good post over at The Media Consortium. The same can be said of Canada in regards to transportation. To long have we focused on the car as the solution to every problem. In town, it takes the same amount of time to get most places as it does in a car when on bike. Slightly more when walking, but that is a slower pace of seeing the world.

Quote

 If you are not prepared to be wrong you'll not come up with anything original"

-Arthur Orsini 2010

Quote

"If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together"

-African Saying