Independent council candidate Mike Smith said there are many problems with the transit service in Delta and the city hasn't done what's needed to help fix them.
“I think there is a lot that could be better but, in short, I believe that Delta has lost the ear of Translink and the Mayors’ Council,” said Smith in a news release. “I have heard from many people, and I have seen with my own eyes, the ways in which relationships our government needs to maintain and enhance have degraded. Even with demonstrated need for transit expansion and enhancement in Delta, the number of routes and service levels have stayed generally the same.
“My colleagues running for council, as well as the mayoral candidates, have continued to promote increases in bus service, but frankly the promises being made right now mean nothing without the appropriate infrastructure upgrades to make sure our buses can actually get through the tunnel, over the Alex Fraser, or down 72nd in a timely fashion.”
Smith, a transit labour leader, said the community needs upgraded traffic light controls that make moving buses through a priority; merge lanes for buses on the highways that run through our communities to keep the buses moving quickly and on time; more frequent service on high-load routes and extended service on certain routes where, if buses can’t be taken, pedestrians are forced to walk down dangerous, uncontrolled corridors.
“We need the proper, full suite of improvements to bus service in our community – not necessarily just more wheels on the road,” he said. “The citizens of Delta deserve a bus system that works for them. We need not just input, but advocacy, from the highest representatives of our government. We need a voice at the table that will speak loudly for the needs of our region – and I am that voice. I’ve worked in the public transportation sector for 28 years with Coast Mountain Bus Company. I know what we truly need to do to make our public transportation in Delta meets the needs of our growing community – and it’s more than just more buses.”
