Change is Just Down the Road

Discussions of sustainability have an unfortunate tendency to be followed by feelings of stagnancy and futility. I recall a quote by Rex Weyler summing this up that said “Future generations are going to look back at us and think of us as barbarians … And what’s worse, we know what we’re doing. We have the science.” Guy Duancey opened the Sustainable Transportation Forum with the end of oil. This time was different though; the end of oil wasn’t a doomsday. In fact, Dauncey said “The golden age of harmony with nature lies in front of us.” When he said that, it seems as though all things inversed. The world is not full of cannots; it is full of possibilities. And indeed, we do have the science.

Duancey was accompanied by Elizabeth May of the Green Party, who spoke about the need for policy coherence between all three levels of government and the benefits of mass transit for a number of social groups. Sue Hallack followed May with an explaination of a corridor strategy, which would increase transit, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure on major routes in the Capital Regional District. Several other speakers provided statistics on transportation and on the economics of sustainable transportation. The alternative forms of transportation discussed truly were endless: electric tricycles, ride-sharing, cycling (electric and manual), light rail, pedestrian traffic, electric vehicles, solar airplanes, biofuels and many more.

And if you have a doubt about the changing face of transportation, why not take a stroll down to the valet bike parking? There you’ll find just under 100 reasons that change is on the horizon and the golden era is on its way.