The public transit plebiscite has started with many of us still undecided on whether we should vote yes or no to the Mayor’s council proposal for the major public transit overhaul. If you are still undecided or leaning on a no vote for any reason, think of the yes vote as an action that would actually improve your health. Here’s why:

1. Less driving means more walking: the new proposal will allow more people to use public transit to reach their destination. People who take public transit are more likely to walk for a longer period of time every day and are less likely to be overweight compared to those who drive. It might not sound like much, but walking is a actually an effective form of exercise, especially if practiced regularly.

2. Less cars means less congestion and a peace of mind: This one is a no brainer. Nobody likes to be stuck in traffic. The stress arising from wasting a significant part of your day sitting in a car instead of spending it with your friends and family (or watching TV if you may) is definitely not healthy, not mentioning the fact that you could be spending that time doing something healthier, like taking your dog out for a walk, or playing with your children. So even if you don’t ever use public transit, allowing others to do so, will help give you less congested roads, less stress and more leisure time.

3. Less cars means less air pollution: With all the people using the improved public transit, there would be less cars on the street. That translates to less greenhouse gas emissions, less impact on climate change and certainly less air pollution in our city. Think of this the next time you are walking on the side of a busy street.

4. Less cars means less chance of road injuries: Every road injury and traffic accident is one too many. Why not help reduce them by having less cars on the roads?

5. Easier access to medical and recreational facilities, friends and loved ones: Everyone deserves to be able to get around, visit their friends and access the city’s services. This is an important issue especially for seniors, people with disabilities or others with reduced mobility. A better public transit system will help everyone get around in the city more safely and comfortably.

6. Less driving can mean more cycling: The proposal promises more safe cycling routes across the Lower Mainland. The number of cyclers in the region is on the rise, and this proposal will help give it a major boost. If you are a current cycler or plan on getting on the bike more often, voting yes will give you more bike routes and longer tracks to cover. If you don’t cycle, voting yes will help take the cyclers off the roads and on cycling routes, making the roads safer for everyone.

Voting yes will benefit everyone: from drivers, to public transit users and cyclers, from young students to families and seniors. A yes vote is a vote for better health.

]]> https://vancouverpublicspace.ca/2015/03/20/six-reasons-why-voting-yes-is-good-for-your-health/feed/ 0 https://vancouverpublicspace.ca/2015/03/16/transit-referendum-vote-yes-on-the-congestion-improvement-sales-tax/ https://vancouverpublicspace.ca/2015/03/16/transit-referendum-vote-yes-on-the-congestion-improvement-sales-tax/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2015 15:00:57 +0000 http://vancouverpublicspace.ca/?p=6178 photo by Anjana Pradhananga

Skate to where the puck is going to be — so that well-worn chestnut from a national hero goes. I’m not much of a hockey fan but I do know sound planning advice when I hear it.

So it goes for transit, too. At its heart, the referendum on a regional congestion-improvement sales tax is about making sure the region is there to get the puck to score our goals in the face of the coming challenges.

We know our population will grow — people already here will have children; people will seek opportunities that compel them to move here; some will choose to settle and feel secure enough to have their loved ones join them.

No more and no less than what we hear in the stories of our friends, co-workers and neighbours when we ask how they’ve come to be here.

Transit takes time to build; so do transit-friendly neighbourhoods. Hearing about the proposal for transit, walking and cycling improvements, it’s too easy to say: “Too much. What’s in it for me? When I could buy so much right now with the money ($135 or $258 per year, depending on who you ask) we’d pay to this tax?”

Two-hundred-and-fifty-eight dollars a year sounds like a lot of money when you compare it to the abstract idea of more bus service — especially if you never use the bus, feel like you can’t even if you did want to and don’t know anyone around you who does.

But it’s the wrong question. The question should be, “What will this tax buy us as a region that you won’t be able to for yourself in 10 or 20 years?”

More transit service throughout the region means more seniors (me, or my parents?) able to live in walkable neighbourhoods they are familiar with and have friends in, regardless of their driving or economic status.

It means young people gain independent movement to enrich their learning and civic engagement, freeing up their parents (a future me?) from time spent shuttling people around.

It means less space required for parking and more green spaces, public spaces and preserved or restored natural habitat (and cleaner air).

Imagine your household saves that $258 (just one guess) for the years until these projects are realized.

You could maybe buy one thing with equivalent benefits to those that I’ve listed. But not all of them, and not without moving.

A yes vote is a yes to all those things, and more, that transit enables. I was that teenager, I might be that parent and, with time, I’ll be that senior. And I’ll vote yes, because I will want to have those choices — and I think you should have them too.

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A version of this piece originally appeared in the Your Ride: Vancouver column for Metro News.