The inaugural Car Free Day on Cowrie Street took place, Saturday, Sept. 7, in downtown Sechelt and event organizer Martin Prestage couldn’t have been happier with the results.
Prestage says there are very successful, car-free festivals, which take place in Vancouver on a much larger scale, so TraC Sunshine Coast decided to offer a similar event in Sechelt. TraC works to support healthy communities and reduce the Sunshine Coast’s carbon footprint by promoting more active and sustainable transportation alternatives, including cycling, walking, and transit.
“As you can see from the number of people here today, this has been an incredible success,” Prestage said. “It’s all about the community enjoying the public space of the street, as opposed to just parked cars.”
He noted the car-free event piggybacked off the success of this past summer’s Slow Food Cycle, which saw participants cycle to local farms, breweries, cideries and markets.
“So, we decided we’d come to Sechelt and create a party, a celebration for the day,” said Prestage “It’s all about reclaiming the street for use of public enjoyment.”
With no traffic on Cowrie, the street was filled with kids of all ages running, cycling, strolling and using mobility scooters to check out the food trucks and vendors, games, face painting, crafts, sidewalk sales and the Pedal and Polish bike show. Live music by the Hook, kept the crowds entertained and the bike valet service was a big hit with the cyclists who made their way to the festival.
