![[Home]](../../ashoka/smallchairs.gif)
WalkingDrivingAndTheConnectionBetweenTheTwoWalkingDrivingAndTheConnectionBetweenTheTwoWHAT NEXT STEPS???: IS OUR GROUP GOING TO MAKE A PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL, OR AT THE VERY LEAST SEND THIS SUMMARY TO THEM??? AND/OR SHOULD WE ALSO ALL APPEAR AT THE NEXT INFORMATION SESSION OR PUBLIC HEARING????
Three postings merged resulting in a rich and lively conversation about walking, driving and the relationship between the two in the cove. We had a group of about 16 community members. I invite other participants to add to these notes where I have been brief or points I may have missed.
We started by sharing some stories about our experiences of walking associated with Snug cove. It was noted that many community members have hopes and dreams associated with their pedestrian experience of Snug Cove. Many participants spoke passionately about the importance of ambiance � enjoying the cove aesthetically with the view, the trees, sitting in courtyards sipping coffee or eating pizza, good air quality and not too much noise, a nice flow to the walking patterns, and a natural kind of village environment. Safety was another concern in this discussion mostly focused on traffic � safety for children walking in the cove and crossing the street, safety for pedestrians generally crossing the road, especially with the new ferry traffic configurations.
It was echoed by many participants how much we value the cove as a place of community connections � a place that we plan to meet friends and nieghbours, and a place were we make wonderful spontaneous connections. It was noted that in order to nourish this, we need Snug Cove to continue to grow in a direction of being a place where people of all sizes feel encouraged to spend time, this links to ambiance, to parking and to pedestrian accessibility and flow. A heart felt story about the value of the community parades happening down the main street was shared, and many agreed that this kind of use of our main road may not be �practical� but it is a deeply held value for many in our experience of living here.
The focus of Snug Cove as a shopping area was also discussed, and it was pointed out that a large part of the Bowen population does not live in walking distance to the Cove. It they are going to support and utilize businesses in the Cove, they need parking, and a feeling of safety and accessibility reaching the cove area through ferry traffic. Another participant wondered about increasing the accessibility of public transit in order to enable people to access the Cove for shopping during the day by public transit.
Some shared stories of the importance to them of protecting the forest area around the Cove. The arrival to the cove through forested walking trails for locals and tourists, (adults, children and dogs) and the connection of the Cove to natural walks (Crippen Park forest, the waterfall, Killarney Lake) was expressed as an important part of Bowen life. Another perspective presented is that the Crippen Park forest is not very important or enjoyable for some and that the need for �realistic traffic management� is more important than preserving the trail area.
It was agreed by all that traffic in the cove, particularly with the ferry location, is an issue that needs to be dealt with as the population of Bowen Island increases. A few people spoke out on behalf of commuters, stating the importance of ferry timing to their well being living on Bowen. It was noted how the difference of 10 minutes to half an hour at the end of the day is a valued change for many commuters. For some this was stated as worth the trade offs for busier traffic in the Cove, for others it did not seem worth the trade off, although all were empathetic in spirit to the needs of commuters.
One participant stated that she feels it is important to work on these plans carefully so that we find ways to keep a pedestrian focus without creating bigger unexpected traffic problems. (**you can fill in more details and expamples from the study you quoted here Ann.)
One participant pointed out that �traffic� does not mean just cars � that it means walkers, bikes, busses, boats, and cars � any of the movement that happens in and to the Cove. He noted that traffic is a manifestation of people, and that the problems we are facing are a manifestation of the growth in the number of people.
A few specific ideas were discussed:
The idea of reconfiguring the walking area of the cove to turn the �face of the cove� away from the road was exciting to many. It was pointed out that there is an easement that would make it possible. While it was noted that there would be expense associated we wondered if it still would be less expensive in the long run than options such as moving the ferry terminal, or putting in a lot of new roads. It was agreed that some creative approaches to financing this would need to be explored.
The idea of moving the ferry terminal to the other side of the cove was raised. Parking would be where the service vehicles currently park, and pedestrians could arrive at the cove along the boardwalk (which would be extended.) Perhaps BC ferries would pay for much of this. Clearly more detailed research needed.
An idea was raised to reconfigure the waterfront so that the ferry can come in straight was raised as another way to speed up the ferry turnaround time and save money for BC ferries that we could perhaps funnel into traffic improvements.
The idea of the loop road was raised. ONE PERSON OPPOSED IT BECAUSE OF THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECT HE BELIEVED IT WOULD HAVE ON HIS PROPERTY. OTHERS IDENTIFIED ITS NEGATIVE impact on the forest trails IMMEDIATELY NEXT THE VILLAGE AND WONDERED whether it would create problems for the merchants if THE FERRY TRAFFIC ON THE LOOP ROAD HAD no access to THEM. [EXPLANATORY NOTE: I MAY BE WRONG, BUT I HEARD ONLY ONE PERSON SPEAK OUT "AGAINST" THE LOOP ROAD. MY IMPRESSION WAS THAT OTHERS WERE MERELY IDENTIFYING POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGES WITH THE LOOP ROAD JUST AS, INDEED, THEY WERE DOING FOR THE OTHER OPTIONS.] One person spoke for the idea feeling that �we need to be realistic in solving the traffic problems�.
The idea of making improved and inviting public transportation options a solid part of the planning was raised by a number of participants, and supported by many � both for use on-island and for commuters.
The current ferry traffic management change was at times a focus of discussion, partly in specific issues being raised but also as an overarching discussion of community process. It was explained that ICBC and the RCMP were going to do a safety analysis of the plan. It was also noted that they will bring a certain traffic expertise, but will not know our community needs and values, or bring creative solutions. Many agreed that this kind of technical advice is valuable if it is integrated into a community process.
It was strongly noted, and supported by most of the group that there are a number of ideas to be considered, and that we feel each idea needs be systematically examined (and presented to the community) so that we can compare advantages and disadvantages � social, environmental, cost, commercial needs and others.
It was also noted that we need to look at immediate needs in the context of longer range planning to see how it will work as the population on Bowen grows.
It was felt by many in the group that in order for a plan to be embraced by the community and in order to find the best creative solution, we need to be sure that the process is transparent, and that community members are given the opportunity to be a real part of the conversation, and to feel that our voices will be a valued part of the planning. We noted that we did not expect to each get all of our needs met, but that in the process of conversation we felt more relaxed about that, and more able to work together and support outcomes that are not always our own personal first choice.
A program called Community Vis was described and presented as a software tool that could be used to better compare options. (Penny please add more information here).
A group called the Business Alliance for Living Economy was described. (more here please Penny about how this is useful. Thanks!)
After sharing many stories and perspectives we came to an interesting conversation about differences and values. A big part of our discussion was noticing how different people have differing experiences of the same places, and how we all learned from listening to each other about what we value in this place. It seemed that the act of having the conversation together allowed us to shift from tightly held positions to a place where we could begin to collaborate and come up with more creative solutions and ideas.
We also noticed that many of us on the Island experience life here wearing more that one hat. Sometimes we may experience the cove as a merchant, sometimes as a parent, sometimes as a commuter, sometimes in a hurry, other times looking for a place to slow down and hang out alone or with friends. We have these differences between us, but also within ourselves, and what we value and need shifts and changes depending on which hat we are wearing. We noted how this can apply to many aspects of our life, but that it also had specific connection to how we experience Snug Cove. We noticed in our process that by actually having a live conversation about it with some differing perspectives we were able to shift from a more limited discussion of only specific positions to exploring the underlying values, which felt like a place we are more likely to come up with creative solutions.
For example one participant shifted the discussion from needing to trade off commuter positions of wanting faster car traffic movement onto the ferry against the position of pedestrian safety to a conversation where the value of spending time on Bowen and with families was acknowledged by all (noting that often one parent is trying to hurry home to meet the same value of quality family life as the other parent who may be spending time in the cove with young children and worrying about them getting hit by ferry traffic.) �We need to focus on the value of getting to and from work efficiently rather that the idea of moving cars.� This felt to many like a place we could connect and work together.
It was noted that it was a very different experience and outcome to hear, rather than imagine what peoples values and needs are. That it is important to acknowledge the positive intention of both approaches, but that the process of actually speaking and being heard is invaluable in coming up with workable plans and in the community feeling that they will support the solutions. It was interesting that with this process we were able to have such a rich conversation despite the complexity of the topic and the emotional charge of some of the issues. Despite at times strong differences we had a very respectful and peaceful conversation.
Our session went more that an hour past the lunch break (we spoke for more than two and a half hours), but we finally stopped to eat. We decided to pursue sharing our discussion on-line, at Bowfest and with council. We particularly wanted to share: