Re: “Does Nelson need a new parkade?” (Feb. 22)
Nelson must work to create a community where walking, cycling and other alternatives replace the car.
Imagine Baker Street closed to vehicles so that shopping and sitting on outdoor patios is quiet and the air is clean. Tourists and folks from neighbouring communities park on a large lot near the new Visitors’ Centre.
A shuttle bus runs frequently along Baker Street from the Visitors’ Centre. The bus might be an electric van, a horse-drawn stage coach or wagon (whatever is historically correct for Nelson), or a horse -drawn sleigh in winter. Large trucks deliver freight to a warehouse near the visitor’s centre and smaller electric trucks make deliveries along the back lanes to businesses.
Tourists and residents would find Baker Street much more inviting.
Local businesses could provide free or low cost home-delivery twice a day. The cost should be similar to that of driving a car to town and paying parking. Getting around the steeper parts of town could be made easier with a gondola up Stanley Street or moving sidewalks. In winter, ski and snowshoe trails could be added.
Other transportation improvements could include: more frequent regional bus service with mostly smaller buses, more cabs, enhancement of the Car Co-op, and expansion of Handi-Dart for people with mobility challenges.
Or imagine a passenger train from Procter to Nelson, Castlegar, and Trail. Approaches such as these will improve our air quality, reduce carbon emissions from single occupancy cars, and make citizens more active and healthy.
Many of these changes could be made for less than the cost of a new parkade.
As a senior who rides a bike eight months of the year and takes the bus or walks the other four months, I can attest that active transportation enhances quality of life. Walking or cycling help one to slow down and enjoy our beautiful surroundings. Riding the bus introduces one to neighbours, improving community connections.
I hope Nelson will think outside the single-occupancy car box.
Julia M. Roberts
Nelson
