Dear Editor:
There's a lot of buzz these days about whether to vote yes or no in the upcoming plebiscite on the Mayors' Council Transportation and Transit Plan. Here are the top 10 reasons why I am going to vote yes when I receive my ballot in mid-March:
1. Working people have to spend too much time commuting to work, and truck drivers have to spend too much time in traffic delivering the goods and services we all need.
2. We need to make transit a practical option for more people so there are fewer vehicles on the roads. We have to make sure this happens to protect our environment and for the efficient movement of goods and services around Metro Vancouver. In New Westminster, this will mean less traffic and congestion. Looking to the future, we need to do this because the population of Metro Vancouver is expected to grow by a million over the next 30 years. Our current transit and transportation system is not adequate for this growth.
3. If we don't act on transit expansion projects, more people will be forced to drive through New Westminster's neighbourhoods on their daily commute.
4. Money needed to make vital improvements to transportation and transit is not in the current budget. Already, in New Westminster, two bus routes have been cut. We need to ensure we have improved services, not cuts.
5. We need improvements to make access to transit more equitable throughout the communities in Metro Vancouver. We also need improvements to make access for individuals more equitable (for example, Handy Dart users).
6. The plan contains accountability measures (annual independent audits).The money raised through the PST increase is specifically earmarked for the projects listed in the mayors' plan. That's why I am not worried about TransLink mishandling the funds.
7. The 0.5 per cent increase in the PST will amount in a modest cost to households. Those with the lowest 20 percent of incomes would pay less than $50 per year. The average household would pay about $125 per year. That's much less than the fare increases that transit users will inevitably face with a no vote.
8. The plan is comprehensive. There's something in it for everyone. It includes 11 new B-line bus routes, 2,700 kilometres of new bikeways, 80 per cent more night bus service, 50 per cent more SeaBus service, 400 new buses and 25 per cent more bus service, 30 per cent more Handy Dart service, light rail transit in Surrey and Langley, building the Broadway subway, and replacing the Pattullo Bridge.
9. The provincial government could have provided funding for these improvements over the last decade but didn't. I don't see how voting no because I have issues with things about TransLink (for example, high executive salaries and the fare gate system) will lead to the government stepping in and making things better. The provincial government is more likely to say that the people have spoken and do nothing.
10. Action is needed now. Voting yes is one positive, tangible action I, as a conscientious citizen, can take to help solve our transit and transportation problems.
Jane Player, New Westminster
