By Staff
March 23rd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
BurlingtonGreen is working with the City of Burlington to complete an Electric Mobility Strategy to develop a ‘made in Burlington’ pathway to increase the local adoption of electric cars, bikes and scooters and their associated infrastructure.
“Low carbon transportation is key to achieving Burlington’s net carbon neutral target by 2050. Electric mobility is an opportunity for the community to address climate change through personal choices.
All season cycling – a bit of a stretch for a Canadian city.
Understanding the barriers and opportunities to higher EV uptake in the community is the first step to developing the strategy”, says Program Manager Marwa Selim.
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlington and thus prioritising walking, cycling, transit and e-mobility as the preferred modes of travel for residents will be essential in helping to advance the objectives and goals of Burlington’s Climate Action Plan.
The City’s Get Involved Burlington online engagement portal is currently hosting 3 surveys inviting community input on electric vehicles, e-scooters, and e-bikes, remaining open until March 30th, 2022. You can find and complete the surveys here.
Some E-mobility Did you Know? Facts:
Lynn Robichaud, Manager of Environmental Sustainability, City of Burlington
● The City has installed 27 electric vehicle ports on city property with more in the planning stage.
● Charging is free at the publicly available stations, however, a parking fee may apply depending on the lot and time of day.
● The City is planning for the installation of a level 3 or fast charger in the downtown core later this year.
● Research has shown that people who ride e-bikes tend to ride further and more frequently.
Lynn Robichaud, Manager of Environmental Sustainability, City of Burlington said: I’m excited to see the results of the surveys to hear from residents and understand the opportunities and barriers as we develop the Electric Mobility Strategy and work towards
being a net carbon neutral community.
Established in 2007, BurlingtonGreen is a community-based, non-partisan environmental charity. Through awareness, advocacy, and action we collaborate with all sectors of the community to protect the natural environment, mitigate climate change and to help make Burlington a cleaner, greener, more environmentally responsible city.
Agree with a lot of what Phillip is saying. The point, however, we have failed repeatedly to get across since well before the 2014 election and reiterated in a conversation with Councillor Bentivegna in 2019, was there are those in this city who depend on their electric powered mobility scooters for the basic needs of living, due to disability The city has failed this community repeatedly by refusing to promote charging stations throughout the city. Anne is fortunate that she has someone who can place a rack on the back of the car and transport her home when she runs out of power. Others are not as fortunate.
Bob Cowan asked Mayor Marianne Meed Ward on the Wednesday CHCH Morning Live interview a related question to this which Anne has repeatedly not had answered and asked Bob to ask at the interview. Anne has now, through twitter @LetVotersSpeak asked Bob to follow up with Marianne Meed Ward and ask for a list of charging stations that are available at the present time for this community whose lives have to be organized around them. We tried to discuss this with our Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns just after election when we had some safety issues with Civic Square and concerns about the rotting King Edward fountain. The Ward 2 Councillor refused to meet but Anne did catch Councillor Bentivegna and met with a stern refusal to look at the issue equating Anne`s concern as just another of the Marsden complaints!
He asked Anne “Do you want to be known as ‘that woman?’
We were left “gob smacked“ with the number of rainbow crossings that were approved but when it comes to real needs and laws that support such being provided for Burlington citizens to be able to grocery shop, enjoy watching the grandkids at Spencer Smith Park, independently Christmas shop at a mall of preference that is several miles away from their home, or run in an election when they cannot door knock, it`s a different kettle of fish. The Gazette needs to do their best to obtain and publish the available list of charging stations presently in place for those whose scooters are their legs, not an E-Scooter that is fun to ride and good for the environment. Good luck in getting that information Pepper, start with the Mayor who has been well prepped for the question. c.c. Bob Cowan
For the safety of pedestrians, I hope that electric mobility devices will be required to motor on the side of roadways, not on sidewalks and narrow pathways where people are walking.
As usual, these policies are “pie-in-the-sky” that fail to prioritize the needs of the very people these policies are supposed to serve. What do people want in their transportation choices? I would argue that the vast majority of people in Burlington are time-poor and as a consequence, time efficiency and convenience are the two key drivers behind transportation choices. And given the urban geography of Burlington–generally long distances between where people live, shop and play, the car will be the overwhelming choice of residents to move around Burlington if they want convenience and a minimal amount of time spent in transportation.
As a driver, I really don’t care what powers my car but it must meet 3 criteria–must provide a 600km range (as a retiree, my hobby is wildlife photography and I do a lot of highway driving), I must be able to refuel in under 5 minutes, and I must be able to find a refueling stop within 50 km. EV’s may be a solution but not until there is a massive investment in electrical infrastructure which realistically isn’t likely before 2050. ICE currently meets all my criteria so that’s what I drive currently. However, in my opinion, we should be focusing in the short to medium term on emphasizing hybrid technology to bridge the gap until we are in a position to adopt electrical technology.
And behind all of this is the knowledge that no matter how much Canada punishes itself in the form of higher prices and a reduced standard of living, it’s just an expensive exercise in virtue-signaling. We contribute 1.6% of world carbon emissions and as noted at COP 26, three of the world’s worst polluters–China, India, and Russia must no substantive commitments to do anything. They are playing the Western democracies for fools as they continue to focus on economic growth. China alone, using its own data, will be using an additional1 billion tonnes of coal by 2030.