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LETTERS: Bus service changes hurt Quayside folks

Dear Editor TransLink needs to give its head a shake. Today I was heading home from work, dinner groceries in tow, and waiting for the new C3 Quayside community shuttle to ferry my tired and hungry bones home. The scheduled 6:05 bus never came.
Kelly Keitel

Dear Editor

TransLink needs to give its head a shake. Today I was heading home from work, dinner groceries in tow, and waiting for the new C3 Quayside community shuttle to ferry my tired and hungry bones home. The scheduled 6:05 bus never came. The next one was scheduled for 6:19, and at 6:11 I gave up and decided to walk. I beat the next bus to Renaissance Square at 6:25. I was less than amused. 

When I moved to the Quayside community in 2006, one of the selling features was the fact that a community shuttle was readily available to carry residents to/from the SkyTrain. Over the years, this route was changed a few times, but two things always stayed the same: It was reliable, and it ran until 11 p.m. most nights. 

Now, I’m the first to admit that this service often ran empty, particularly in the off-peak hours. But it was clear, even then, that when the route transitioned to include uptown or Victoria Hill, the reliability suffered. TransLink has decided that now is the perfect time to make a change that completely undermines this service. First, the route is no longer a Quayside loop but permanently traverses New Westminster from Quayside to Victoria Hill. This means it is running right through the traffic that regularly constipates Royal Avenue, and there isn’t a hope this route will run on time when its most needed: during peak hours. Front Street is closed, and now with the Pattullo Bridge work, traffic through the city is worse than ever. Excellent timing. 

Further, it would seem that TransLink thinks that everyone who lives Quayside should observe a 9 p.m. curfew, because that’s when service ends. Every day. If you’re out past 9 p.m., you’re either walking or taking a cab. Or you can take the 112 Edmonds Station bus, and walk from 12th Street. Who are the “67 per cent of those surveyed” that supported this change? Not anyone who lives Quayside, I’d wager. 

I can’t help but imagine that the slow, steady erosion of this route I’ve observed in recent years will continue. How long before TransLink decides that Quayside doesn’t deserve service at all?

Kelly Keitel, New Westminster