Dear Editor,
It has been over ten years since I have written to The Undercurrent and council, but reading the various articles regarding Peter King’s downtown bus service has compelled me to compose a letter of support for this wonderful service. I hope that in doing so it will help build support in the community and on council for what should become a permanent part of our transportation and environmental stewardship strategy.
I have been living on Bowen since 1997 and commuting probably for a total 13 of those years. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this service is and the impact it will have on me and so many other Bowen commuters. I have already given up my Horseshoe Bay parking spot for the duration of the refit and now use the bus rather than driving. I know this is an anecdotal statistic but with a small population such as ours, I strongly feel that we will only get a true picture of the impact of this service through anecdotes like this.
I understand that council seems to be more focused on statistics than the stories of their community, so perhaps I can throw in some numbers to assist with the stories. How about 20 minutes a day per person spent waiting for a 257 in Horseshoe Bay that is not synchronized with the Bowen ferry? Or on the return journey from May to October: 30 minutes per day as our ferry times shift but the bus does not. At this point perhaps we have to dream a little or at least take a leap of faith about the impact of convenience and efficiency. If we saved people nearly an hour a day what do we think they would do with that time? Maybe they would be home earlier to enjoy Bowen events or attend activities with their children that are currently too early in the evening. Maybe the combination of savings in time and money will provide an opportunity to spend more money in the Bowen economy, or at least keep this important segment of the island community (the commuters) in the community. Or do we think some of our niche stores like the Ruddy Potato, Cocoa West, Phoenix Photo and others (all wonderful services) would manage just fine with an economy dependent on island based incomes?
Of course I haven’t even touched on the additional opportunities/benefits if Peter’s service is integrated with Translink through transfers. This would open up the service to those connecting with transit in Vancouver and maybe even encourage visitors to use this service to visit Bowen affordably. Perhaps using available advertising space on the side of the bus to showcase the scenery of Bowen, as is currently done on buses advertising the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
This council has its first chance to make a lasting impact on Bowen that will benefit everyone. This is something (putting my neck out here) that I would think would have unanimous support. We say we are an environmentally aware group of people. If this is so, why do we have such a high carbon foot print with families owning 2, 3 and even 4 cars to get them around the island and into the lower mainland in a reasonable time? Council, please show us you will focus on what is important. Throw your support behind one of the best community contributors we have. Support Peter King and his wonderful vision. He has done most of the hard work for you.
Thanks for your attention.
Damian Leverton
