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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM BEST!
BEST Staff Create An Amazing Wreath!
The staff of BEST were delighted to participate in the annual Mount Pleasant BIA Wreath Decorating Contest. Our innovative design, in which the wreath was mounted on a bike tire, featured a variety of found objects relating to bicycles and sustainable transportation – including bike reflectors and flashing lights -- all put together with a dash of holiday panache. It was great fun and we look forward to participating again next year. To take a look at the winning wreaths, go to http://www.mountpleasantbia.com/.
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Thank You to our Funders and Supporters
As 2011 drew to a close BEST was grateful to receive funding from a variety of sources. This funding will help us develop and grow our programs. A Community Gaming Grant, from the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, will go towards Living Streets and Commuter Challenge.
- The Vancouver Foundation provided funding for the STAR initiative.
- VanCity also became a partner on the STAR initiative.
- Bikes For All graciously donated two bikes, to be drawn for at the BEST Annual General Meeting and during The Bicycle Valet season. This is in addition to the bike donated by Bikes For All at our wildly successful Winter Open House.
- Last but not least, as the year drew to a close we were grateful to receive financial support from many of our Friends and Supporters. Your generosity is much appreciated.
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BEST Car Donation Program Continues Into 2012
You are on BEST’s mailing list, so we know that you care about sustainable transportation. But if you still have a car, or know people who do, you may consider asking yourself:
- Does it get used enough?
- Does it justify the expense involved in keeping it?
You might be better off – LITERALLY – donating it to BEST.
BEST’s car donation program is simple: Participants donating their vehicles to BEST receive a charitable tax receipt for a fair market value amount, based on condition and book value.
Monies raised help BEST in its work of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the support and creation of sustainable transportation services and practices throughout the Lower Mainland.
Not only will you save money, you will enjoy improved health and fitness and reduce your carbon footprint. For more information about the car donation program please contact the BEST office, 604-689-2860;
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300 Years of Fossil Fuel in 300 Seconds
We don’t often do this, but this video produced by the Carbon Institute is well worth watching. BEST is doing its part to reduce dependence on fossil fuels on both the planning side and the practical side with The Bicycle Valet.
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Chris' Corner
By Chris Wilcott
Happy New Year my fellow BESTies!
This December, as I was out Christmas shopping in La Crete with my fiancé, I became acutely aware of the kind of problems faced by senior pedestrians.
On one day in particular, it had recently snowed and the sidewalks were extremely treacherous. As we made our way down the street we came across two elderly shoppers. One of the seniors was in a wheelchair and the other, who was pushing the wheelchair, was having a difficult time navigating the unplowed sidewalk; as a result, they were using the road. My fiancé and I stopped and helped these two by pushing the wheelchair through the snow.
This experience made me think about how difficulties experienced in cities and towns in B.C. are the same as in Alberta. Our aging population will be giving up their driver’s licenses in increasing numbers over the coming years and yet we continue to design our communities, large and small, almost exclusively for automobile use. Being a pedestrian as an able-bodied individual is a challenge at the best of times; for seniors, being a pedestrian can be downright dangerous. In rural communities, as in the cities, insufficient consideration is being given to the needs of seniors for safe, accessible pedestrian access. Many cities are now developing transportation plans that claim to have pedestrians as the first priority and yet, the built environment is lagging behind these lofty goals.
For more information on this issue, and other issues relating to seniors transportation, visit the STAR website.
(Our intrepid reporter Chris Wilcott is a supporter of BEST currently living and working in La Crete Alberta, 700 km north of Edmonton. We look forward to his continued submissions on sustainable transportation, from a rural perspective. -Ed.)
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Visit us at best.bc.ca
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NOVEMBER NEWS
The Bicycle Valet -- It's Been A Great Season!
Well, we have officially wrapped up the 2011 Bicycle Valet season, and what a season it was! Thank you to all of the patrons that used our service, and thanks for riding your bike! Here’s 2011 by the numbers:
· 22,000 - number of bicycles parked
· 0 - number of bicycles lost or stolen
· 10,000 - number of bicycles parked in July
· 150 - number of event days
· 1,792 - number of bicycles parked in one day at one event
· 5 - number of events we serviced in one day
Finally, a huge thank you to the over 80 staff and volunteers that made this season possible! We could not have done it without you!
We’re going to spend the winter gearing up for what promises to be another record breaking year!
P.S. In October we had 2 more lucky contest draw winners: Cheryl Sharvit and Linda Tinkler.
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Jackie Ross: Adult Trike Booster
 All her life Jackie Ross was an avid walker. But in 1998, while living in Canmore Alberta, she was beset by serious knee problems. Looking for a way to keep active and stay mobile, she first considered buying a scooter. But then she discovered adult trikes – and there has been no turning back. “I love trikes!” Last year, Jackie, now 65 and living in Vancouver, acquired her second trike. It has 6 speeds, a solid steel frame, an extremely comfortable wide seat, and a large wire basket at the back. With the 3 wheels she feels supported and stable and the upright handlebars keep her grounded and well-balanced. Jackie uses her trike to go shopping and to visit in and around her neighbourhood of Kerrisdale; she has even ridden her trike over the Burrard Street Bridge to St. Paul’s Hospital. Trikes are extremely popular in Europe and parts of Asia, though less common in B.C. But Jackie says there is a lot of interest – “Other seniors, and the families of seniors, often stop me on the street and ask me questions.” She says it seems that “some people just don’t want to get out of their cars, other people are afraid of trying something they aren’t familiar with.” Jackie thinks one reason that there are few adults trikes in B.C. is the fact that unlike scooters and wheelchairs, adult trikes are not considered by the government to be medically essential. So even though they are ideal for seniors like Jackie who have serious mobility issues, the provincial government will not cover the cost. Because she is so convinced of the value of trikes for seniors, Jackie intends to begin lobbying the government for a change to this policy. Costing in the range of $650-$750, adult trikes are a useful investment for anybody wanting to regain or maintain their health. An electrical assist for an adult trike adds another $1000 to $1300 to the price but can be extremely helpful if you are going up hills or if you want to work a little less energetically. For more information on adult trikes, visit the STAR website at http://www.starcanada.ca/pilot-projects/tricycles-bicycles/.
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Legislation Introduced to Support Metro Transit
At the request of the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation, the Province is introducing legislation, the Greater Vancouver Transit Enhancement Act, which will allow the region to increase fuel tax by two cents per litre starting April 1, 2012.
The additional two cents per litre will increase the regional gas tax funding to approximately $364 million and will help fund the Evergreen Line rapid transit project and other priority transportation projects across Metro Vancouver.
This is definitely a step in the right direction of a sustainable regional transit system.
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Chris' Corner
By Christopher Wilcott
This week our columnist takes a look at some of the issues around Green Cities, notably walkability and land use planning.
Making an Economic Case for Greening Cities
According to findings of a recent Green Economy report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), humanity’s poorly designed urban areas are costing the global economy as much as 3% of GDP annually. In our current era of anemic economic growth, this statistic should act as a beacon for cities to reduce their environmental footprint and to help heal their ailing economies.
Although the buildings of a city itself can be upgraded to reduce fossil fuel consumption, the best way for cities to reduce their carbon footprint, at least in my opinion, is through providing transportation alternatives to the personal automobile while at the same time ensuring that land-use patterns are designed to encourage those transportation alternatives to be utilized.
As Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, observes, “[i]n high density cities … housing, commercial retail and leisure facilities are in close proximity, thus limiting the lengths of everyday trips. This is supported by efficient and extensive public transport networks.”
Indeed, we only need to look at our own city to see this in action. Central Vancouver is a relatively dense, mixed-used area with an effective public transit infrastructure, and many who reside in the area choose to walk, cycle, or to take transit to their destinations. As suburban Surrey was mostly designed and built at the height of the automobile era it is not dense enough to support frequent bus service nor is it an inviting place to walk. Now, if only I could find out how much Surrey’s suburban land-use pattern is costing the city’s GDP per year.
Check out this article for more information on the topic: http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?storyid=%7b28ceffef-aac9-4f21-b732-85515534f4c6%7d
Chris is leaving Vancouver this month for a job in the municipal planning office of a small northern Canadian community. We wish him well and look forward to receiving submissions from his new vantage point – what about that ice ferry?!
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Thank You To Our Donors
BEST relies on the many generous donors who support our work in sustainable transportation.
This past year has been exciting one. The Bicycle Valet has grown by leaps and bounds – we have been at over 120 separate event days, putting practical sustainable transportation in front of hundreds of thousands of people and allowing us to do meaningful outreach to “walk-bys.” In addition, BEST is in the process of developing another exciting new program – STAR Seniors Transportation Access and Resources. STAR is an innovative, equitable, and effective solution to what is currently a highly fragmented, under-financed and uneven set of transportation services for seniors in BC.
All donations are tax deductible. Cheques may be mailed to BEST, #209 – 175 East Broadway, Vancouver BC V5T 1W2. Secure on-line donations may be made through Canada Helps at the BEST website, www.best.bc.ca.
Your ongoing support for our work is warmly appreciated.
Thanks for reading! |
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AGM Report from the Executive Director
Our 20th anniversary celebration and AGM was a huge hit. We at BEST were thrilled with the turnout and the excitement of everyone who attended the event. It was a delight to see so many old friends, and to welcome over 20 new members.
BEST has experienced many changes over the last 20 years, which we shared with you on our timeline at the AGM. There were many fabulous ideas for the future of BEST and sustainable transportation.
Here are just a few of the suggestions and predictions proposed:
• BEST helps make Surrey Light Rail Plan a reality
• BEST has huge input into Vancouver’s 2012 Strategic Transport Plan
• Cars driven with only one occupant become rare rather than the norm. (Unless it’s a car share)
• Sustainable Transportation It is sexy-fun-healthy-low carbon. THIS saves the world!
• Robson Street becomes a car-free mall (Like Granville Street except better)
• BEST continues to facilitate STAR in Lower Mainland communities
We would like to thank our current and departing directors for their dedicated support and guidance while we welcome new BEST directors:
Sam Ho
Sam’s education background includes a BCom (UBC) double major in both finance and transportation. He is a Certified General Accountant (CGA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He formerly worked with the Ministry of Finance on policy and legislation, as well as VanCity, where he first became aware of BEST. He currently works as a finance/strategic planning/accounting/IT consultant, and volunteers with Quest Outreach Society (board member and treasurer). He has been on four volunteer boards in total, often in the treasurer role. He’s an avid cyclist, and has a lot of passion for BEST’s work!
Charissa Tehrani
Charissa is another BCom (UBC) grad, and she’s a Chartered Accountant (CA). She formerly worked as the financial manager for Sprouts (the UBC Organic Food Coop, which is governed by a board of directors), and is currently the tax manager at KPMG LLP. She volunteers on the board of directors (finance committee) for the Kitsilano War Memorial Community Centre, and is also a Big Sister mentor. She enjoys running, rock climbing, cooking, making ethical purchasing decisions, and reading. She’s a dedicated cyclist; when she moved to Vancouver she joined the UBC Cycling Club, and she formerly volunteered with the UBC Bike Co-op.
Lauren Isaacson
Lauren has a B.Sc., an MBA and 8 years experience in various aspects of marketing, advertising, and research. Her extensive time spent participating in interactive communities and working for digital agencies gives her a formidable expertise in interactive, social media, green marketing, and market research techniques & analysis. She moved to Vancouver in California in 2008 and has been enjoying the diversity of transportation options available in our City! She strives to live a carbon-neutral lifestyle, and enjoys reading environmental awareness and tip blogs.
Eriko Arai
Eriko has a B.Sc. in environmental sciences, a B.Ed., and recently completed her Executive MBA at SFU. She is currently working towards her Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. She has been with the Vancouver Aquarium (which is governed by a board of directors) since 2005, and her current role is Director, Public Engagement Programs. She is responsible, among many other things, for overseeing two well-recognized programs: the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and Ocean Wise. She has significant program management experience, and strong communication skills evidenced through strong sponsor relations. She has sat on numerous boards, including Gordon Neighbourhood House, and The Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia. She is an avid cycle commuter, is committed to strong community development, and values volunteerism. |
Since 1991, BEST has been building sustainable transportation solutions in metro Vancouver.
Our Vision: Vibrant, healthy communities built around walking, cycling and public transit.
A sustainable transportation system is one that:
- * Allows the basic access needs of individuals and societies to be met safely and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, and with equity within and between generations;
- * Is affordable, operates efficiently, offers choice of transport mode, and supports a vibrant economy;
- * Limits emissions and waste within the planet’s ability to absorb them, minimizes consumption of non-renewable resources, limits consumption of renewable resources to the sustainable yield level, reuses and recycles its components, and minimizes the use of land and the production of noise.
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