Editor:
Re: Transit is Unpleasant Nov. 11, and City Needs New Stations Nov. 18, NOW letters
I quote from the letter of November 11, “… they are giving up on transit and buying a car.” It's not surprising. For 15 years, I lived in Vancouver and rode the rubber-wheeled buses. When they were crowded or late, I would look out the window and think “I could walk or bike, and if I was in a power wheelchair, I could wheel myself.”
Now I live in Burnaby and ride SkyTrain long distances. When SkyTrain is crowded or slow I look out the window and think “I wish I had a car.” Long-distance high-speed mass transit is an advertisement for cars.
The slogan “Cure the Congestion” needs careful analysis. They put SkyTrain on billion-dollar stilts to avoid any inconvenience to cars. That will encourage the use of cars.
I used to ride the old B-line from Burnaby to UBC. If the bus broke down, they’d send another. This compels me to ask what will happen if a large section of SkyTrain collapses during an earthquake?
Regarding the other two letters, I live near both proposed new SkyTrain stations. Yes, the new stations would help, but they are costly, whereas bus stops can be put in every block or two. But then, you need buses to come to the stops. The 109 goes once an hour for most of the day. That's the one I take to work.
The best use of SkyTrain would be down the centre of the valley to tie the whole community of cities together. Instead, we continue to build “The New York of the Pacific.”
Is it not obvious that isolated forms of transit are a sign of overpopulation? If the buses can’t get through the street, you have too many people in too small an area. So, we build high rises to justify the isolated transit.
Albert Melenius, Burnaby
