Norm Reynolds, running for a seat on Courtenay council, says we have a number of urgent reasons to establish a Citizens’ Task Force into a Comox Valley Transit System for the 21st Century.
According to Reynolds, in addition to the personal and environmental benefits, there are some striking economic reasons to call a Citizens’ Task Force into ways to enhance our bus service.
“Municipalities all over the world have calculated the cost of cars — construction and maintenance of more roads and parking and bridges, policing, ambulances hospital beds, lost valuable real estate — then they compare that to the savings from a transit system tailored to local needs — and the benefit of an enhanced transit system becomes compelling.”
Reynolds cites communities like Boulder, Colorado (that) “have gone all out to enhance the quality and efficiency of public transit with innovative ideas like: Eco passes for commuters, GPS mapping for advanced passenger information, on-board wireless Internet, computer interfaced dial a ride and careful attention to fitting bus routes, frequency and bus sizes to the actual needs of riders.”
“I know there is so much our citizens can tell us about the actual transportation needs of the Comox Valley in the 21st century,” Reynolds declares, “and I think we need to create an opportunity to hear from them in a well-consulted, well-researched public report.”
For his final pitch Reynolds asks: “Did I mention that our children desperately need us to leave behind some resources for them and their very lives will depend on our reducing our impact on global warming?
"This is perhaps the bottom line for calling a Comox Valley Citizens’ Task Force into a Transit System for the Twenty-first Century.”
— Norm Reynolds