2023 Report on Activities

Advocacy

Connect the Coast

TraC is actively supporting advocacy efforts for the construction of a multi-use path (MUP) between Langdale and Sechelt. This initiative is now being led by the Connect the Coast Society (CTCS).Established in November 2022, CTCS is a registered charity that is solely focused on the MUP project. Two TraC board members also serve on the five-person CTCS board. 

Following the completion of a preliminary study a year ago, the Society’s focus in 2023 was on raising awareness of the initiative, building municipal support and seeking grant funding for the next phase of its work, specifically, the development of a detailed feasibility and planning study for the construction of a MUP on the highest priority segment. 

The District of Sechelt, the Sunshine Coast Regional District and the Town of Gibsons have all provided, or been asked to provide, letters of support for the MUP initiative. The Society has also engaged with the Shishalh and Squamish nations through their official channels. Statements of support and, in some cases, formal partnerships, are required for some grant applications. CTCS anticipates grant funding will play a vital role in moving the initiative forward. The Society has also received letters of support from various community organisations, including the Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Development Organization and Sunshine Coast Tourism, among others.

The priority segment, described as sections 4 to 7 in the preliminary report, extends from North Fletcher Rd in Upper Gibsons to Highland Rd in Roberts Creek. A considerable amount of work is required to plan for MUP construction on this segment. This includes archaeological and environment assessments, development of conceptual and detailed engineering plans, and government and public consultation and engagement.

The Society estimates the cost of planning - which will get us to a shovel-ready state for this first segment - to be approximately $1.5 million. To get this planning underway we are in the process of applying for a federal Green Municipal Fund grant, which could generate up to $175,000 in matching funds if we are able to raise another $175,000 from our municipal partners and other sources. The Society is also applying for a Rural Economic Diversification Infrastructure Program grant of up to $500,000.

The Society is also seeking planning and financial support from the provincial government directly, and to that end has met with Minister Rob Fleming, from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, other members of his ministry, and with Jonathan Robinson, executive director of Healthy Living and Health Promotion in the Ministry of Health. TraC and the Society are grateful for the role MLA Nicholas Simon has played in helping us engage with the provincial government.

The Society’s work is still primarily volunteer driven. In 2023 TraC was awarded a $22,000 grant from the federal Community Services Recovery Fund to build fundraising capacity and capability for the Connect the Coast initiative. These funds have been used to build a government relations program, which is essential to the initiative’s success and fundraising, and to develop a fundraising plan. In addition, private donors have contributed approximately $60,000 to support the initiative to date.

In the year ahead, the Society will maintain its focus on stakeholder engagement, fundraising and getting next-phase planning underway.

Town of Gibsons

In 2022, TraC worked with staff at the Town of Gibsons to obtain a grant from the province to develop an Active Transportation Network Plan and in February of this year the Town of Gibsons was awarded a grant. The purpose of this process is to develop a comprehensive active transportation network that will enable residents and visitors to safely get around on foot or with wheels to various locations within the Town. TraC is an active member on the Advisory Committee along with other community organisations. 

District of Sechelt

TraC continued to act as a District of Sechelt referral agency. This means that development plans that impact Active Transportation are forwarded to TraC to provide comments. This year we provided feedback on the following referrals:

• Subdivision Application 3320-2022-05 - DL 3259 Tuwanek

• Subdivision 3320-2022-13 - 5100 Chapman Road

• Rezoning application 3360-2022-06 - Lot 5 Tower Road

• 5981 Shoal Way Rezoning Application - 3360-2022-02

We also contributed to the update of the District of Sechelt Transportation Master Plan through document review and participation in a workshop. 

The Mason Road phase of the federal-provincial jointly funded Active Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Project in West Sechelt is almost complete. This phase connects the Sunshine Coast Highway and Reeves Road with a multi-use path separated from automobile traffic.  The next phase of the project will improve infrastructure on Reeves Road to the Crowston Connector and Kinnikinnick Park.

MOTI

Outside our engagement with Connect the Coast and the VCH Active Travel for Kids Committee TraC did not have any other engagement with MOTI.

SCRD

TraC and Connect the Coast worked with the SCRD and requested support for the Connect the Coast preliminary design, plans to move forward with our feasibility and started the process of requesting financial support for our Green Municipal Fund grant.

Bike Counter

This past year TraC finally received funding to purchase a bike counter from Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Cycling Coalition. In October, volunteers learned how to set-up the counter and piloted it in front of Roberts Creek Elementary. SD46 has since asked to have it placed in front of Gibsons Elementary. The next stop will be in front of Elphinstone Secondary/Hwy #101 to collect bi-ennial data for the next version of TraC’s Active Transportation Progress Report. Going forward, the counter is available to be placed anywhere on the coast.  

Active Transportation Progress Report

The next version of TraC’s AT Progress Report (formerly known as the AT Report Card) is almost complete and will be released by the end of the year. 

Other Advocacy

In 2023, we attended MP Patrick Weiler’s pre-budget consultation. We also held private meetings with newly elected local government representatives to discuss active transportation issues.

Events

Active Advocacy Nights

This year we significantly ramped up our Active Advocacy Nights with events like highway road sweeping in Sechelt, Selma Park, Davis Bay, Roberts Creek and Gibsons, plus levelling out a slightly challenging corner on Helen’s Way in Gibsons.  TraC sincerely thanks all volunteers who come out to these fun and important evenings for a bit of cycle love, sweat and beers. 

TraC’s active advocacy nights inspired the design and fabrication of a prototype bike lane sweeper pulled by bike. This sweeper enables efficient removal of debris - such as scattered rocks, nails, glass, etc. - with an electrically powered brush that lifts debris into bins at the back of the sweeper. The sweeper can be pulled by any bike (but e-bikes help on hills) with the use of a standard bike trailer connection.  It was built at Lal Bikes in Wilson Creek in collaboration with Pierre Lermant from California, who had the original idea for such a sweeper. The sweeper was thoroughly tested, with the learning from this testing going into the design of a next prototype sweeper. The long term goal is to explore whether these bike lane sweepers could be commercially built in quantity for use everywhere where bike lane sweeping is needed.

Slow Food Cycle

Over 300 cyclists participated in the first annual Sunshine Coast Slow Food Cycle July 30 in Upper Gibsons. Presented by TraC with generous support from sponsors, including the Founding Sponsor, the Sunshine Coast Credit Union, the event enabled cyclists to visit up to 14 participating venues on a self-guided route. Event highlights included food samples from roadside farm stands, build-your-own pizza with ingredients you gather yourself, tours of larger-scale farming operations and having a chance to converse directly with informed food producers and farmers. Also, we heard overwhelming support for how events like this that support cyclists gathering together in a safe way greatly increased their appreciation and respect for the community we have on the coast. We received very positive feedback from participating vendors and participants. One participant’s quote is worth mentioning. They said, “It was amazing to see all the cyclists attending, stop at farms I had never been to and talk to the farmers, and simply the community of it.“ We are happy to announce we will be putting this event on again on July 28, 2024 (tentative) in collaboration with the One Straw Society and other community members.

Town of Gibsons E-Bike Ride 

In June, TraC invited Town of Gibsons councillors, staff, and other community representatives from SD46 and Vancouver Coastal Health on a guided e-bike tour of Gibsons. The 1.5 hour tour demonstrated some of the current safety challenges of cycling in our community, but also showcased the joys of e-biking and how it is making cycling much easier for all in Gibsons. Following the tour, one grinning councillor said they had not been on a bike since 1976, and subsequently purchased their own e-bike two days later!  

GoByBike Weeks

TraC hosted Celebration Stations in Gibsons and Sechelt during GoByBike Weeks in May and a fun wrap-up party at The Gumboot for all volunteers and riders.

Earth Day

In April, TraC hosted their annual booth at the Robert Creek Earth Day festival. There was a bike valet, bike tune-ups, and lots of discussion on the potential for more active transportation on the coast.

The Engine Inside Movie Screening

In November, TraC hosted a successful screening of the cycling movie, “The Engine Inside” at the Heritage Playhouse. The event was a partnership between Trac and Shoreline Law and coordinated by TraC member, Tim Howard. Tickets (135) sold quickly.

Schools and Youth

VCH Active Travel for Kids Committee

TraC continues to collaborate with this group of organisations to explore ways to encourage more active travel for kids on the Sunshine Coast. Attendees include: Vancouver Coastal Health, SD46, District of Sechelt, SCRD, Town of Gibsons, and SCRD Transit. A new coordinator, Sally McBride, has taken over from Lianne Carley. They have recently identified five areas of concern that they plan to focus their advocacy efforts on. Many thanks to Jody Schick who continues to support these efforts with his suggestions and research on appropriate AT infrastructure goals. 

SD46 Active School Travel Support

TraC has also supported SD46 and their Active Travel Coordinator, Johan Strohman, with their own AT activities. Over the past year we have:

• Attended strategy planning meetings.

• Participated in an SD46 meeting with ICBC to discuss ways to make active school travel safer for kids on the Coast.

• Attended additional site visits with ICBC and Town of Gibsons.

• Helped with four ICBC Road Safety Blitzes held at schools across the coast.

• Donated prize money for Active Travel Weeks.

• Placed the bike counter in front of Gibsons Elementary.

SD46 continues to work seriously in the area of active school travel.

NDVR Video

In 2018, TraC received a grant from Vancouver Coastal Health to purchase ten bikes for the NDVR program in Sechelt. NDVR is a Sunshine Coast Alternative School (SCAS) program for at-risk youth in grades 5-7. For five years now, students in NDVR have learned how to ride bikes safely and have worked on their skills on local mountain biking trails. Local filmmaker and TraC member Greg Compton wanted to highlight some of TraC’s achievements and chose to feature the success of the NDVR program. The video includes SCAS outdoor education teacher Tom Harder who shows how he teaches students to ride bikes confidently on pavement and local trails, building life-long skills. The video has been shared by SCAS teachers, by SD46 and is currently on the TraC website. 

Free Transit for Youth Feasibility Study

In the fall, TraC actively assisted a consultant hired by the SCRD to conduct a feasibility study on free transit for youth on the Sunshine Coast. These results will be presented to the SCRD board in November.

Other Activities

Other activities that TraC has been up to in 2023 include:

• Hosted a table at the Greenline Electric Ferries Open House.

• Hosted a table at the Banff Mountain Film Fest.

Organisation

Membership

TraC’s membership increased by 68% in 2023 to 222 members. There are also 1,100 subscribers on our mailing list. Thirty-one percent of our subscribers are “highly engaged and often open and click” our email newsletters. The majority of members (60%) are on an annual subscription plan that renews automatically via PayPal. 

New Website & Logo

In early 2023, TraC received a new logo courtesy of member Pamela Lee. In September we created a new website with more functionality for events. 

Thank You!

TraC would like to thank all our directors, volunteers, and members who worked hard this year to make all these activities happen. If you would like to become one of our amazing volunteers please contact us.