FRIDAY FEB 17, 2017
VOL. 43, NO. 07
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
The Bowmart building
Valentines Day reflections
Past and present
BICS Playground Fundraising update
What it takes to truly deepen intimacy
Electric vehicle advocates urge investment in charging station
MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Students at BICS went all-out for crazy hair day last week. From left: Maesy, Amelia and Amelia. Meribeth Deen, photo
Council proceeds with parking lot plans on Lot 3, Miller Road MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
This week’s council meeting kicked off with a staunch objection from Edna Thomson, a homeowner on Miller Road, to council’s plans to create parking on Lot 3, across the street from the Snug Cove House lands. Thomson told council that there seemed to be some “creative play” on the democratic and procedural process for this project. Municipal Chief Administrative Officer, Kathy Lalonde, assured Thomson that all the standard procedures had been followed, and after some discussion later in the meeting, council approved the plans that will allow construction of the project to move forward. The creation of this proposed lot, which would accommodate approximately 20 cars, is aimed at relieving developments in the Cove from having to meet on-site parking requirements. The concept for the lot has been described as a “forest parking lot” and has been compared to the Crippen Park lot off Dorman Road. Councillor Sue Ellen Fast told her fellow councillors that she would not vote in favour of the plan, as she is not convinced
of the need for so many parking spaces. She called this plan “business as usual” in an era when commuters have proven their flexibilty, when islanders have asked for active forms of transportation, and when there are more options than ever to help people find creative ways to get where they’re going. Councillor Maureen Nicholson expressed her support for the project, reminding council that the Rennison lot (beside the General Store) is currently available for use by commuters but may not always be, as it is private property. She said she did not see the proposed lot as being “business as usual” as it will allow commuters to walk on the ferry and catch the express bus to downtown, or to take the water taxi - either way, they’d be leaving their cars on-island instead of driving for their whole commute. Councillor Melanie Mason said she agreed with Councillor Nicholson, adding that she would like to emphasize the temporary nature of the lot. Councillor Gary Ander supported Mason’s idea about the lot being considered temporary. All councillors except Fast agreed to proceed with the terms of construction as proposed by Municipal Public Works Manager Bob Robinson. The expenses for the project will be capped at $60,000.
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Islander Kim Hauner is the owner of three electric vehicles: two bicycles, a GEM (which drives a top speed of 40km per hour and a total of 40km on a full charge) and a Nissan Leaf. He told members of the Bowen Island Municipal Transportation Committee (BIMTAC) that on one occasion he wasn’t sure there was enough of a charge left in the GEM to get back home, and he had to plug into a socket outside the Caring Circle cottage – only to find the plug pulled an hour later. However, he told committee members that needing a charge in the Cove was an unusual situation for him to be in, and that Bowen should invest in a public charging station for the sake of visitors driving electric vehicles. Hauner presented to BIMTAC alongside Bruce Stout and Sukhdeep Gill from the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) on January 24. Stout told the committee that he’d heard from EV owners who came to Bowen and headed straight back to the mainland after realizing there are no charging stations here. The closest is at Glen Eagles golf course, right outside Horseshoe Bay. Stout says there are now more than 100 charging stations in Metro Vancouver, and the cost of powering-up the cars that use them is so minimal that most are currently free. However, the province has recently installed 30 faster charging stations where users pay a nominal fee. Back in 2010, the City of Vancouver tested an electric vehicle for its municipal fleet, and has since purchased 35. “The cost of operating an electric vehicle compared to a similar fossil fuel powered vehicle is 20 percent, and that’s just in fuel costs,” says Stout. “Maintenance costs of electric cars are negligible, they don’t require oil filters or air filter changes. Those costs really add up over time.” As an electric vehicle owner himself, Stout prefers to talk about the enjoyment that comes with driving one. “They are so much more pleasurable to drive, I don’t know why anyone would drive anything else,” he says. “And it is a little known secret, that when you drive in an electric vehicle you are allowed to use the HOV lane – because those lanes were designed to take cars off the road, and electric vehicles are not considered to be cars in that context.” CONTINUED P 3
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