OSOYOOS TIMES-December 15, 2010
It’s time to start thinking realistically about this community’s goals to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Last March, Osoyoos council adopted an Idling Control Bylaw that made it an offence to keep a vehicle idling for more than three minutes.
Nine months later, the Town reports that not a single ticket has been handed out under the new bylaw.
Could it be that everyone began turning off their stationary vehicles to obey the new policy?
Just walking down Main Street or looking around the parking lots of Osoyoos’s grocery stores will give you an answer to that question.
It’s quite common, especially now that cold weather has arrived, to see people leaving their vehicles running with no one inside while they run in to make a deposit at the bank or pick up a prescription at the pharmacy.
Some people will drop off a family member or friend to run an errand and remain in a running car with the heat on.
One also doesn’t have to look far to spot a stationary transport truck at the side of the road in town, belching out clouds of exhaust while its driver grabs a coffee from Tim Hortons.
And the drive-thrus at the local fast-food establishments often have a healthy lineup of vehicles, especially in the mornings.
So what happened to the municipal warning ticket blitz campaign meant to make drivers aware of the idling bylaw that was announced when the new policy was introduced?
Surely our bylaw officers aren’t that busy, or blind, that they haven’t been able to find a single idling vehicle in town in nine months?
The reason no tickets have been handed out under this bylaw is likely a political one.
Whenever the issue of cutting down on idling vehicles comes up, this newspaper often receives letters to the editor from readers who say they will never adhere to any anti-idling bylaw because they want to stay warm in their vehicles in the winter while parked and cool in the summer.
If the Town did crack down on idling in the community, Osoyoos Town Hall would surely be swamped with angry residents complaining about and fighting the tickets they had received for keeping their cars running while stationary for more than three minutes.
With no enforcement of the policy to date despite daily instances of illegal idling, it’s doubtful the Town will step up its anti-idling efforts any time soon.
So, it’s time to look at better ways to help cut down on the amount of carbon we’re pumping into the air.
The Town is currently focused on reducing its own emissions from administrative operations and has recently appointed a Community Sustainability Action Team, so it’s a good time to consider some options.
First of all, education campaigns aren’t going to work.
No one is going to change their habits after reading a pamphlet, attending an information session or seeing a poster.
It’s preaching to the choir.
What’s needed is a way to get people out of their vehicles.
The Town is discussing the purchase of a new community bus and the idea of making it a hybrid vehicle or a bus that runs on alternative energy sources has come up.
Why not go further and work towards setting up some reliable public transit for the community?
Would it really be that hard to bring in some buses that make regular loops around town, stopping at the grocery stores, the downtown core, the resorts and hotel row?
Many private businesses are exploring community shuttle concepts right now, especially in the face of tougher drinking and driving penalties introduced in September.
The idea of having passenger ferries on the lake has been talked about in the past.
With construction of the new marina set to get underway next year, now is the perfect time to look at having water taxis that could bring people from one side of the lake to the other.
Think about how ideal it would be to have a dock across the street from the Sage Pub.
Finally, residents and visitors alike seem to love the trails on the outskirts of town.
Why not create more trails within town boundaries that allow people to access the downtown core?
(The new waterfront pathway connecting Lions Park and the Hwy. 3 bridge is a good start.)
If Town staff and Osoyoos council can find ways to accommodate large marina and development projects, they can find ways to develop public transit and other means for people to leave their vehicles at home.
