c a r   s t o p s     

WHY CAR STOPS?

In small communities, there is little chance of having a community bus: the economics and the lack of users mitigate against it. The Car Stops project, with the obvious similarity to Bus Stops, is the answer.

Car Stops are attractive signs, placed at strategic places around the community, that provide recognized places for people to wait if they require a lift. There is a double-sided sign which proclaims CAR STOP, and below is another sign which reads as follows:

Drivers don’t have to take the first in line;

You’re not obliged to accept a ride, that’s fine.

You accept a ride at your own risk,

But the ride is free, so consider it a gift.

(contributed by Don Harrison, MAP Exec. Pender Island)

The concept of Car Stops is to promote community transportation that is simple, free and safe. The project provides an alternative to single occupancy cars, and results in less traffic congestion at commercial centres, a reduction in the overall carbon footprint and a chance for people to make new friends. The most important idea is that Car Stops are entirely voluntary: people take rides and give lifts as they see fit. There is no coercion on either side, no bureaucracy and no cost.

With the help of grants from the CRD and the Lions Club of British Columbia, to buy the signs; the enthusiasm of a group of volunteers from Moving Around Pender (MAP) Alternative Transportation Society to erect them, and community support to use them, this is a winner!

Not everyone will embrace this concept overnight; but over a few months, with careful advertising and positive feedback, it could provide the ideal alternative transportation for small communities.

Its time has come!

CAR STOPS - PHASE 2 

The first 16 Car Stops are in use around the Pender Islands. With the help of the MAP's annual forum ‘Reinventing the Wheel’, we received detailed community feedback. The response was entirely positive, and other islands, including Mayne, Hornby and Gabriola, have shown interest. Those who attended the Forum identified the places where they would like to see the next phase of Car Stops, and indicated the Car Stops they have already used. With this information a further 13 Car Stops were installed in May 2009, making a total of 29 throughout North and South Pender Islands. The first Car Stops program (numbering 16) was approved by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) as a pilot project. The Stops were situated in places that already had safe pullouts. MOTI received numerous letters of support for the project, and have since removed the "Pilot" designation. 

The aim is for the majority of the community to be able to travel around the Penders using Car Stops within walking distance of their houses. If this idea is adopted on the rest of the Southern Gulf Islands, and eventually on the Northern Gulf Islands, it will be possible for people to travel between Islands without the need for cars. This will be a welcome relief from the rapidly increasing ferry costs. There is no doubt, that keeping things simple, practical and community-based is the way of the future. If we share our cars and take turns to seek lifts, we can survive in smaller communities, and move from this positive action to other ways of saving money, reducing our carbon footprint and increasing the richness of our lives. If you need help in getting started, or would like to comment on the Car Stops program, please contact me by email at mathiascb(at)shaw.ca.

CAR STOPS - PHASE 3

The final phase will be to attach to each Car Stop a weather and vandal-proof map of all the Car Stops around the Islands.

The use of the Car Stops is increasing all the time and is particularly popular with students, people without cars, boaters, and foot passengers from the ferries. Car owners have been surprised by the convenience of this kind of transportation once they dare to leave their cars behind.

The major successes of Car Stops are the simplicity, the convenience, and flexibility of the system. There is a reduction in the carbon footprint, easier parking at commercial centres, and an increase in community spirit.

A number of other Southern Gulf Islands are now actively involved in planning their own Car Stop programs  based on the Pender model. By using the same signs, there is a reduction in the cost, and immediate recognition. Mayne Island is planning to have 25 Car Stops installed in September, and Gabriola and Hornby are well advanced in their planning. I have also received  inquiries from Salt Spring Island and Quadra Island.  The big dream is that Car Stops will eventually exist on all the Southern Gulf Islands allowing Islanders and visitors to move around these Islands without having to take their own car.

Click on link below  (Ctrl+click for hyperlink) for a comprehensive map of  Pender Islands Car Stop Locations.