Stop the 'nonsense'
The Langley Advance has an interesting letter to the editor from Cloverdale resident Scott MacGregor on Gateway:The argument that we should simply not build any more roads and bridges, and push to build non-sensical transit solutions for people who don't want or need them, just doesn't make any sense, and I think most people know that.
Liveable cities need adequate road infrastructure in place to meet the current and future needs based on sound planning. There needs to be leadership to build out "reasonable" public transit options, and residents need to be provided with choices.
Those whose convictions are strong for public transit can live in urban corridors where transit is able to serve them without massive subsidization from the taxpayers.
I am no cynic, and I sincerely hope that the Gateway project goes forward, if it is to mean having adequate roads in place to ensure my family is not deprived of family time when sitting in cars on 40-year-old bridges and freeways waiting for unrealistic transit solutions while we abdicate our own personal responsibility for where and how we chose to live.
As density increases in places like Surrey and Langley, we will see more and more transit options come here. Right now, TransLink (and I wish I was making this up) has told Langley Township Council to put up signs in our higher density neighbourhoods saying, "Coming soon--a bus stop." When I asked how long it would take for a bus to come into those neighbourhoods, I was told 10-15 years!
Langley is densifying in a reasonable, controlled way. We are rewriting neighbourhood plans to increase population in urban areas, we are working on in-fill (Sam Sullivan would call them "eco-density") developments. We are doing our part--but adequate transit service is still 10+ years away.
That's why I support both road and transit improvements. It's not one or the other, as some claim, it's both.
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