 
Politicians need to consider light
rail
May 02, 2008
Letter to Editor Langley Times - Rick Green, Mayoral Candidate
Langley Township.
Image by - Rob NEWELL/Langley Times
Transportation
planner Stephen Rees was among a panel of transportation
experts who spoke at VALTAC’s forum last Saturday.
Editor:
The organizers of the VALTAC transportation forum on
Saturday should be congratulated. Now we have to hope
our mayor and other mayors south of the Fraser, along
with provincial politicians, are listening.
All
too often the obvious is overlooked in solving major
problems. Costly, over-thought solutions are brought
forward by bureaucracies intent on justifying their
existence. Whatever happened to common sense?
Light
rail transit is not new. It was thought of and implemented
back in the early 1900s and, as one panel member said
on Saturday, they designed, planned and constructed
the interurban line in three years. We couldn’t
design or plan that infrastructure today in three years
— let alone build it.
This
unique opportunity is available to us — all we
need is to use our common sense and get on with it.
The problem with that notion is that we assume our politicians,
municipal, provincial and federal, are listening and
interested in common sense.
The
province, municipalities and unelected TransLink board
are forcing two options for transit — buses or
SkyTrain (at an estimated $120 million per kilometre).
Gordon Campbell’s recently announced transportation
plan has a $14 billion price tag, but it may as well
be $30 billion, because the likelihood of that kind
of money being spent on our regional transportation
needs within the suggested time frame is pie in the
sky.
It
is just plain unrealistic politics, and make no doubt
about it, it is just politics. When we have such a cost-effective
option as light rail available to us, it would be completely
irresponsible not to get on with a plan to move forward.
We
are told we can’t institute light rail on a line
carrying so much heavy rail traffic (which is growing
considerably).
Some
of the VALTAC directors have delved into, investigated
and obtained copies of agreements that are still valid,
regarding the interurban line’s history. There
are rights that flow from the historic agreements dealing
with passenger travel on this line.
While
we seem to be willing to sit back once again and take
what is thrown at us, it is now time, as part of the
commuter initiative, to deal with the relocation of
heavy rail.
If
you look at the current number of unit trains that are
running through the Township and the City daily, the
powers that be are looking at doubling that number in
the not too distant future.
If
we keep turning our back on this problem and take on
the population that is intended for Langley under the
Livable Region Plan, our children and their children
will be wondering what was wrong with the politicians
and the electorate of the past. We will be known for
our lack of foresight, the opposite of our ancestors,
who had considerable foresight.
Mayor
Kurt Alberts sat on the former TransLink board that
approved of the implementation of a bus program for
our region, giving no support to light rail. Like so
many municipal leaders in the region, Mayor Alberts
has lagged behind the wishes of the taxpayer.
They
stand up and pump their chests at the building of rail
overpasses (at considerable cost to Township taxpayers),
when those dollars could be spent to build a new rail
bridge over the Fraser at New Westminster to help solve
the problem of unit trains going through the middle
of the Township and City.
Politicians
must start listening, using their common sense and take
action. It was great to see Mayor Alberts attend the
forum on Saturday. He should have stayed longer.
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