Dear Editor
I love snow. But this year more than any other I am keenly aware of the extreme limitations it places on our elderly. Now, thanks to cuts from TransLink, those living along the Hastings corridor will be denied access to bus service as an alternative to vehicles. This is because the new “B” line express, lauded as a more efficient ride to SFU, will cut off local bus service all along Hastings in Burnaby.
TransLink actually claims that the “alternative” buses are the 144 (which hits Hastings at Duthie and goes up to SFU) and the 129, which runs on Hastings from Gilmore to Holdom (every 16 minutes if you are lucky). Meanwhile the only regular and reliable bus on Hastings is no longer available to our elderly population, as access will require a walk of several more blocks.
My favourite spin? TransLink claims that the 14 is an alternative. The 14 stops at Kootenay Loop and provides local service for Vancouver, where the current 135 was always an express bus.
We need a decent transit system if we want people to get out of their cars. Creating an express bus, without adding a local bus, is a cut in service. Tell the truth. A bus that doesn’t come to Burnaby is not a solution in Burnaby. Of course, HandyDart should be the real alternative for our elderly, but contracting out has, as usual, led to a deterioration of service.
Don’t think the few blocks matter? I challenge you to walk today on Hastings, three to five blocks further. Imagine being terrified of falling on the ice, breaking a hip or having some other injury that will steal your independence. Let’s exercise our compassion and find ways to fight for a decent transit system – both improved HandyDart and local bus service. Let’s start by holding our politicians to account.
Karen Dean, Burnaby
