Brainstorming for Green Mobility

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

“Nova Scotia needs to act now,” says Harry Gow, keynote speaker at a recent Green Mobility Forum in Wolfville. “The province can't keep operating with a 1950s model.”

Gow said that simply building more roads will not solve the pending transportation crisis. What needs to happen is building a network of sustainable transportation modes.

The two-day conference at Acadia University followed on the heels of Premier Rodney MacDonald's recent statement encouraging Nova Scotians to take transit to help defray the rising cost of fuel. Conference organizers applauded his suggestion, said Laena Garrison of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, but recognize that in a province where 60 per cent of the population lives outside of urban centres, creative solutions are necessary.

Transit use in the Annapolis Valley is becoming increasingly common as Kings Transit service improves and expands. General Manager Ron Mullins spoke of transit's impact, socially and economically.

He noted, “when you talk about business retention and economic development, transit's a key component.”

Mullins pointed to the problems that a lack of transit in Truro is causing for the Convergys call centre. Because of the nature of the employment, employees there are hampered by rising fuel costs and need a sustainable alternative.



Cycling alternative

One of the alternatives presented at the Green Mobility Forum was cycling. Marc Panneton, cycling coordinator with Transport Quebec, highlighted the use of cycling as an economic driver for tourism as well as a mode for commuters. Quebec has developed La Route Verte, a system of over 4,000 kilometres of cycling trails.

He said the most important pieces of implementing a cycling network are funding and planning. Nova Scotia needs to know what cycling assets it has already and needs funding for infrastructure to link current assets together.

Panneton emphasized that having municipal-level support for any program is crucial. He said, “I’m very, very excited about the possibilities in Nova Scotia,” pointing to the existing network of secondary highways that, with proper signage and shoulders, could easily become cycling roads.

Susanna Fuller of Eastwind Cycling also stressed how important bicycle tourism could be to the province.



Share success stories

Speakers came from across the province as well as from across the country to share the success stories of other jurisdictions. Cynthia Patterson, the co-founder of Rural Dignity, spoke to participants about how crucial rural areas are to Canada and how the transportation needs of residents there must be addressed to maintain a vibrant culture.

Conference participants also had the opportunity to experience some alternatives to single occupancy vehicle use. Green Mobility Adventures ranged from cycling and walking excursions to trips on Kings Transit and Trans-County Transportation buses.

The conference was held with support from Transport Canada, Conserve Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection and Environment Canada.

The forum, presented by the TRAX project of the Ecology Action Centre and Transport 2000 Atlantic, brought together participants for an exploration of alternatives to reliance on private vehicle transportation.