Dear Editor
Last Thursday’s $740 million photo-op with Justin Trudeau was nothing more than flim flam to get the regional taxpayer to ante up their portion for the very poorly thought out mayors’ grossly expensive 10-year plan, which will benefit developers more than transit customers.
The two centrepieces of this 10-year plan, the Broadway SkyTrain subway and the Surrey LRT, are so poorly thought out, so expensive, won’t reduce congestion and will force more people to drive!
The real winners of the $740 million investment in regional transit:
1. Bombardier Inc., who will get $345 million for new West Coast Express cars and proprietary ART cars (SkyTrain).
2. TransLink’s bureaucrats, who will get $157 million so they can continue to “play trains.”
3. Land developers, who will get relaxed zoning at proposed rapid transit stations.
The big losers:
1. The transit customer, who will suffer more incompetent planning, and not one new bus for South of the Fraser was included.
2. The taxpayer, who has to pay for this questionable transit planning.
It also seems our politicos slept through their high school math classes because how can $250 million a year ($750 million over the next three years) fund a $7.5 billion “10-year plan.”
Do the math: $250 million a year for 10 years gets you $2.5 billion. A $5 billion shortfall.
D. Malcolm Johnston, Delta
