Metro Vancouver’s Derek Moscato writes today that he is surprised to hear NDP Vancouver-Point Grey candidate Mel Lehan sounding the alarm over the plan to extend SkyTrain west to UBC. Afterall, the folks who stand to lose the most from a derailed SkyTrain expansion are students, seniors and working stiffs – “The same people who, presumably, are being courted by the provincial NDP.”
Lehan’s alarm bells culminated in a well-attended town hall meeting in Kits. Since then, a coalition of activists has been trashing the light-metro system, citing everything from cost to construction to crime. Moscato questions the logic behind such a move by Lehan and calls SkyTrain the economically and environmentally responsible choice for Metro Vancouver considering its speed, durability and role in encouraging urban density.
They instead advocate for alternatives such as a European-style tram. How quaint.
But while there is a place for slower, surface-level light rail in our city, it shouldn’t be along one of the most heavily trafficked urban corridors in Western Canada.
It makes one wonder: Do any of these critics actually use public transit? Have they witnessed the brutal lineups for the 99 B-Line service at Broadway Station — or the crush of riders on the buses themselves?
One anti-SkyTrain theory goes so far as to blame it for encouraging commuters to live further distances from where they work — as opposed to just around the block.
How laughable. This implies that the average worker could afford the sky-high price tag for a condo in Kits or a bungalow in Point Grey.
Last modified: April 27, 2009
Note the first comment on that Moscato article by Mike222:
I’m not sure who Mike222 is, but if what he says is true, then there are some serious problems with the Moscato’s article.