Skip to content

Letter: I’m using my car again because Burnaby transit is too scary – thanks for nothing, TransLink

A woman transit rider says TransLink needs more police and other things to make riders feel safe.
skytrain
SkyTrain departing from a station. A Burnaby transit rider says she doesn't feel safe.

Editor:

Two years ago, COVID had me change so many of my habits, including driving.

With my job suddenly being done at home, I took the insurance off of my vehicle because I was staying home all of the time. I even started walking more to do my groceries, buying a few things at a time and doing more trips instead of driving for a big weekly run.

So when my job returned to being at the office several days a week, I made the decision to start riding transit instead of driving again.

Well, that decision didn’t last long.

I just don’t feel safe on transit in Burnaby and I blame TransLink.

For one thing, TransLink should have maintained the mask mandate even though Dr. Bonnie Henry wrongly lifted it. Too many buses and SkyTrain rides are filled with maskless people and I feel unsafe. It feels like a petri dish on most rides and it could be made so much safer if only TransLink actually cared about its passengers.

And then there are all of the jerks and weird people who hassles other people on transit, especially making things feel scary for women.

There aren’t enough staff or transit cops on SkyTrain and I’m fed up with all of the harassment.

I should be able to feel safe when I pay for transit. I don’t and so it’s back to my car I go.

Thanks for nothing, TransLink.

T. Collison, Burnaby