Thinking outside the box is a great metaphor that for decades effectively communicated the concept of unconventional, innovative thought.A group called Imagine Comox Valley deserves credit for doing it, although we might need to credit ICV with blue-sky or lateral thought to avoid sounding clichéd.Councils in Cumberland and now Courtenay have approved Car Free Sunday in sections of those communities Sept. 25 from 1 to 5 p.m.After ICV’s Andrew Gower pitched the idea several weeks ago, a majority of Courtenay council voted last week to approve Car Free Sunday, with two catches.A traffic management plan that is acceptable to the city’s director of operational services must be submitted along with required insurance.That plan will presumably allow for people needing to leave or enter the area bordered by Fitzgerald Avenue from Fifth to 26th streets, 26th Street from Fitzgerald to Willemar Avenue, Willemar from 26th to Fifth, and Fifth from Willemar to Cliffe Avenue.Councillors who expressed concern about such a large, busy section of the city are entitled to their misgivings and should not be dismissed as merely thinking inside the box.Emergencies in this large box must be accounted for. Nobody is calling for Ambulance Free Sunday.The Fifth Street Bridge would remain open, although road closures would affect about 40 intersections and hundreds of house and business accesses.“Access for residents and business users in vehicles will be severely restricted, and adequate provision needs to be made to accommodate those motorists,” added Kevin Lagan, the city’s director of operational services, in a report to council.Quite right. Even so, council can expect some backlash from people not prepared to make a leap in a car-less future even if it’s for just four hours.Credit ICV, though, with generating debate about an alternative to something most of us never think about — inside or outside a box.editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com

Comox Valley Record