DriveABLE testing for 80 year olds will likely be available on the Coast this September, thanks to the work of former politician Ed Steeves, who took up the cause on behalf of local seniors.
"I think I can say we would never have been able to do it without him, and that's the truth," said Sechelt resident Barb Robertson, who raised concerns in March about having to travel into Vancouver to take DriveABLE testing to keep her licence after she turned 80 years old.
"He's been able to talk directly to the people involved and deal with them in a professional, experienced way, which I wouldn't have been able to do."
After Coast Reporter ran a story in March about Robertson's experience, other seniors facing the same testing came forward and started a letter-writing campaign in the hopes of bringing testing to the Coast.
Robertson said that group approached Steeves to have him formalize the effort and push their agenda with the powers that be.
Steeves took on the challenge and got on the phone to talk with the office of the superintendent of motor vehicles (OSMV) and the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA), which administers the testing.
"I like the direct contact as opposed to letter writing," Steeves said.
He told the OSMV and BCAA of the hardships seniors face when travelling into town to take testing, and noted there should be a level playing field.
"If people under 80 can have their driving tests administered locally, then people 80 and over should be able to test locally," Steeves said.
He also appeared as a delegate at a Sunshine Coast Regional District meeting to encourage local government to write letters of support, which they did.
Steeves said he talked often with the manager of road safety strategies at BCAA, who was receptive to the idea of a new testing site on the Coast.
But a new testing site would take some funding, and Steeves said that's where Powell River - Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons came in to play as he took the concerns to the Legislature.
"The involvement of Nicholas was good. He pushed the people who had the money," Steeves said.
As talks between the OSMV and BCAA took place around how to implement testing on the Coast, Steeves was ready to help any way he could, even sourcing a location for the testing to take place at Sechelt Insurance in the Tsain Ko Mall.
"I was just covering a few bases seeing that sometimes these things fall apart because we can't find an office, so that was not going to be an excuse," Steeves said.
In the end, BCAA decided a new testing location will likely be set up in Sechelt on a rotating basis starting in September.
"It is a specialized test, so we're experimenting with the idea of sort of a mobile service for this next period of time until either there's a consistent demand or some predictability in terms of what the volumes are in the community," said David Dunn, director of road safety for BCAA. "So this is a first step. This is at least an interim solution to say, look, we recognize people are inconvenienced by having to come down to the Lower Mainland, and if there are a number of people such that we can come up there, and it's more convenient for people, then so be it. We'll try to work with that."
Dunn said BCAA also plans to hold information sessions on the Coast starting in September for doctors who refer patients to take the test and for seniors approaching their 80th birthday.
He credits Steeves and his group for working co-operatively with BCAA to find a solution.
"We really value both the leadership in the local community for bringing this forward and working with us and also for helping us identify a location and continuing to work with us as we go forward," Dunn said. "So hats off to the local group, and we certainly applaud their efforts and thank them tremendously for showing their leadership and responsibility to do this."
