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BC Car-Free:

Exploring Southwestern

British Columbia

Without a Car

by Brian Grover
  The entire 340 page outdoor guidebook BC Car-Free: Exploring Southwestern British Columbia Without a Car is now posted online for the benefit of all. For less than the price of a tank of gas, BC Car-Free will introduce you to the finest in outdoor recreation that coastal British Columbia has to offer. All excursions begin in Vancouver, British Columbia and can be undertaken without a car, using existing public transportation infrastructure. Topics include hiking, kayaking, backpacking, cycle touring, whale watching, horseback riding, birding, river rafting, canoeing and cave exploring. To begin exploring, look no further than the Table of Contents on your left.
 

Just the Facts...

  • 340 pages
  • 94 separate trips
  • 52 maps
  • 130 photos
  • 25 sidebar illustrations
  

12 activities including...

  • Hiking - 41 Trips
  • Backpacking - 10 Trips
  • Ocean Kayaking - 13 Trips
  • Cycle Touring - 10 Trips
  • River Rafting - 3 Rivers
  • Horseback Riding - 1 Location
  • Cave Exploring - 3 Caves
  • Canoeing - 1 Trip
  • Whale Watching - 3 Locations
  • Birding - 5 Species
  • Salmon Watching - 3 Locations
  • Getaways - 3 Trips

Car Sharing

BC Car-Free provides enough information to keep you tramping, splashing, clomping and whizzing about the province for several years at least. Public transportation however is still in its infancy in BC and many more outdoor delights cannot be readily reached without a car. In Vancouver there exists a middle ground between outright car ownership and high-priced car rentals. The Co-operative Auto Network was formed to empower members to make a positive environmental choice without sacrificing mobility. Based on a European model, CAN is a car sharing co-op. Much like in a credit union, members purchase shares in the co-op and have access to dozens of cars strategically placed around the lower mainland.

Just like a rental car company, but cheaper, members can call, book a car, truck or minivan then go pick it up. Depending on where you reside, the nearest car may be just a block or two away. Vancouver’s West End and Kitsilano areas in particular are well-covered. CAN also has vehicles in Nanaimo and Tofino on Vancouver Island and members can access vehicles belonging to a similar co-op in Victoria.

The Co-operative Auto Network, now called MODO, is located at #209-470 Granville Street in Vancouver. Call for details at (604) 685-1393. Find them online https://www.modo.coop/ here.

There are a few other options in the car sharing marketplace: Check out these viable alternatives to car rentals: 

The End

Contents

Notable Quotes

You've gotta see it!

-- Vancouver Tonight