Ideology killed RAV

I am beside myself, and furious that your weekend editorial ("RAV off the rails") misses the point entirely.

Derek Corrigan wants RAV dead because he does not want to see a successful P3 (public-private partnership). His opposition to this significant transportation project has little to do with anything other than politics.

That a handful of people could blow off one of the most significant transportation improvement projects ever in this region is mind-boggling. They had a chance to lead us into the next generation of major transit improvements and failed. We need to hold them accountable.

The region needed this, the economy needed this, and the environment needed this.

This project was killed for ideological reasons. They voted against:

A project supported by between 75-90 per cent of the population;

A project serving 20 per cent of the region's population and 30 per cent of the region's labour force;

A project with unprecedented due diligence and professional peer review;

A project that brought an unheard of $1 billion of senior level government and authority money to the table;

100,000 daily ridership projection;

Thousands of construction jobs;

Hundreds of operating jobs.

If you are a voter and care about your community and about this region, please take just a few minutes to think about this as you sit idling in traffic, or climbing on an overcrowded bus, and use your vote accordingly at the next opportunity.

RAV opponents too vested in their own self-interest

I am extremely disappointed that TransLink directors voted down the RAV rapid transit project.

The RAV line would not only have provided a convenient public transit mechanism for Richmond and Vancouver residents, as well as airport traffic, but it would have connected the communities of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

Other districts and municipalities already have the pleasure of enjoying their own SkyTrain links, yet their respective directors (who voted against the RAV line) seem torealize no benefit to themselves. It is interesting to note that the directors opposed to the project are from regions that already have SkyTrain or whose projects were sidelined.

Although the population in the northeast sector may be growing faster than that of Vancouver and Richmond,TransLink fell short in mentioning that the current population of this region is large and congested already and that the RAV line could possibly eliminate a lot of traffic bottlenecks.

The future economic benefits of the project that will be lost are huge, not only for ourselves but for future generations. Opponents of the RAV project seem so vested in their own self-interest and the `now.'

Take a moment to think of the benefits that could have been enjoyed by our children and possibly our grandchildren and so on. The benefits enjoyed by their friends and so on as well.

I believe it is very naive forpeople (or opponents) to say "I drive a car, I don't take public transit, and so I don't need the RAV line." I guess the answer is the short-term orientated thinking of our individualistic Western society.

But for now, let's bring on the buses because they're here to say for at least another decade or so.

Workable options needed for rapid transit

I can't believe the RAV is dead and not a moment too soon! Kudos to Burnaby Mayor Derrick Corrigan (and others) that stood up for the taxpayers of B.C. and voted No.

Now can we please move on and develop affordable, workable strategies that actually provide some relief for commuters in Richmond?

Take the light train

With the demise of the RAV, it is time to begin real transit planning in the region, something that hasn't been done in a long time.

RAV was a vast political pork barrel, where well-heeled friends of the provincial and federal governments would make millions on the backs of the beleaguered taxpayer.

RAV was doomed because it was poorly planned, hugely expensive, and the costs were not honestly stated. RAV was designed for the obsolete SkyTrain mini-metro system from the start, with the just as obsolete motto "the more money you throw at rapid transit, the better it is."

Some politicians compared RAV as a Cadillac- or Mercedes-type transit system; actually RAV is an Edsel, a white elephant, just like the hugely expensive Expo and Millennium Lines! Just who is building with SkyTrain these days?

No one? Then why not? Has anyone asked this question?

The time has come to build with modern and much cheaper light rapid transit just like the other 450 cities or towns around the world that operate that mode. It is time to build a transit system that the public can afford.

It's all there: the Arbutus Corridor, an existing rail bridge, and existing railway rights-of-ways in Richmond. All is needed is the political will to make it happen!

Parish pump politicians vs. RAV

I find it unsurprising that the TransLink board voted down the RAV line. As is usual in B.C. politics, the incumbents, with few exceptions, demonstrate a breadth of vision approximately equal to the distance between their eyeballs!

Burnaby: "We have our transit, so go hang if we want anyone else to obtain one."

Coquitlam: "We wanna be NEXT, or we wont play."

New Westminster: "Why do we want another line, we have ours."

Maple Ridge: "It wont do us any good, so we wont agree."

Now of course that the precedent has been set, I have hopes that the ridiculous proposal for a bridge replacing the Albion Ferry will in its turn be rejected. It wouldn't help anyone but the northeast sector.

And of course, the renovation of the water system must come to a screeching halt! Just a waste of money, don't you know.

It seems that this whole fiasco demonstrates the disfunction of the GVRD, which appears to exist solely to provide salary and benefits to assorted parish pump politicians and the massive staff who attend to their desires.

It must be something in the West Coast air!

Not a good day to be ticketed

We've all heard of the over zealous parking authority in Richmond that has made the various papers over the last little while. (No, I didn't get a ticket.)

But can you imagine your neighbour, a senior citizen and well known in the community, whose daughter was ticketed while visiting her extremely ill-mother at a care home on Minoru being ticketed on Mother's Day (Sunday!).

Actually, her mother was up out of bed, in a wheelchair, for the first time in months after chemotherapy and radiation treatments and wanted to see a Blue Jays game.

Can you just imagine the individual and their supervisors lurking around these senior care homes on Mother's Day? Neither can I, but it happened.

It's time this council provided real direction on these parking issues and not continue taking direction from staff. This type of conduct should not be tolerated by Richmond citizens and council should examine its conscience on these issues. It is reprehensible behaviour on the part of Richmond's parking authority.

This must be corrected after all the taxes that are paid to our staff; they should pay for their parking at Richmond City Hall since we all subsidize that parking.

Hopefully, I made my point that ticketing people on Mother's Day at a senior's home on the Lord's day is going out of your way to make someone's life even more distressed.

Try reforming the legal system

Re: "Shaping B.C.'s electoral future," May 7.

It's not enough to just have a voting process. The other half of the picture is a legitimate legal system to go with a proper voting system.

That is where the problem lies. We need courts with real judges dedicated to upholding our criminal laws in an unprejudiced manner.

Until we get that nothing will change and we are just wasting time and money. But then I guess that is probably the intent.

Children need places to play

In case anyone intends attending the public hearings on Monday, May 17 regarding rezoning applications might I suggest that it is a complete waste of time to offer any suggestions as we have found in the past. We have yet to hear anything turned down.

Our particular concern is the incredible number of demolitions that are taking place. For example: two bungalows are being demolished and 14 townhouses put in their place.

This is happening all over Richmond and the end result is something ugly and quite insidious. These so-called "family" homes are, without exception, totally devoid of any garden or play areas. Because of this, children living in these homes have nowhere to play other than parks or the street.

Ideally, children could be taken to the park, but these days moms and dads are usually too tired and busy to take small children to the park when they get home from work. This results in children being entertained by TV or computer games.

This is absolutely no fault of working parents but a system which allows homes to be built with nothing but a strip of concrete and a double garage instead of a safe, green space for the little onesand in addition may well contribute to the problem of childhood obesity.

Public deserves the truth on RAV

The RAV line project is an opportunity to positively impact the whole region. There is a strong demand for ridership, and strong public support for action it should be built now and not later.

The northeast sector and Broadway corridor are also part of the regional system and must still remain in the plans to be built as soon as possible.

With 80 per cent of Richmond and Vancouver's population in support the RAV project, how is it that we can let seven members of the TransLink board stop the process of RAVCo negotiating with the two consortia for their best and final offer. That is when we would know the final cost. The board should reconsider its position and allow RAVCo to proceed to this next step.

It's a shame we have asked the international consortia that have gone to a great expense to prepare their cost proposals only to find out they may have been wasting their time. This will have a very serious effect on B.C. being able to attract international companies from to business here in the future.

The TransLink board members should forget their personal and political agendas and let the RAVCo board get on with their job for the benefit of entire region now before we lose the majority of the available funding.

The board members who voted against the RAV should be required to provide the public with the real reason why they voted against RAV. Was it union pressure? Is it because an automated system would not have any CUPE union drivers?

Most of the information that the seven TransLink board members have told the press does not appear to be true. We deserve to be told the truth.

As this project is such a integral part of the overall regional transportation system the province should get more involved by appointing three members to the TransLink board to fill the vacant seats so there would be better governance for the betterment of the whole region.This would help remove some of the political and personal agendas of some board members.

A loving, caring touch

My mother and I were sitting on one of the seats near the dyke at Terra Nova last Saturday (the day before Mother's Day), when a male cyclist went by us, he turned around and asked if my mother would accept a long-stemmed red rose on behalf of his own mother who had passed away last year.

Because we were both so touched by this gesture we hardly managed to squeak out more than a thank you, I would like to take this opportunity to tell that young man that his mother would be proud of him and that she obviously did a very good job of raising a loving, caring son.

Don't waste water

A severe water shortage is predicted for this summer.

A light snow pack, an early and quick thaw, and the expectation of another Sahara summer ahead of us are the causes of this concern.

And yet I have noticed many a resident watering their lawn during the peak of the hot afternoon sun. This would be silly if it weren't so wasteful.

Let's not forget it is our future drinking and bathing water that is being squandered in such a way.

Perhaps the GVRD could issue bumper stickers with an appropriate eco-logo designating folks as "voluntary water conservationists."

Here would be the targets aimed for in their households, starting today:

Water-saver shower heads in each tub.

Showers for cleaning instead of baths.

Showers finished in 75-100 seconds (with some slack cut for teenagers doing their hair).

Full dishwashers and washing machines only.

Hand-watering of garden flowers. Lawn watering only twice per week for no more than an hour after 9 p.m.

Handwashing of vehicles only.

A brick put in each toilet tank to displace water and lessen the litre per flush rate.

Arguably it's too soon for the "yellow/mellow/brown/down" rule for biffiesperhaps that can wait 'til August if we're lucky.

If we all were to undertake these kinds of voluntary measures, perhaps we'll have sufficient water to get us through the next five months. If not, surely notunless our customary grotty weather for May and June arrives with a vengeance, of course and not just the desultory sprinkles of the past little bit.

There is a Plan B

What utter nonsense. We are told that there is no Plan B for the RAV Line.

Sure there is. We just start running articulated buses from Richmond Centre, along Garden City Way, Oak Street Bridge and Cambie Street.

And we do it tomorrow!

Get rid of the freeloaders who park their cars forever on Cambie Street, put in a bus/bike lane and Bob's your uncle!

We have the buses, we have the operators and we have the infrastructure already in place; why the hell do we need a bullet train for our visitors?

We cannot afford to provide homes for the homeless, but we can waste billions on this monstrosity just to keep the Board of Trade and its minions happy.

Why would a visitor to Vancouver even want to take a subway ride into downtown when all you can see is a gloomy concrete tunnel? How ridiculous!

A subway is the terrorists' favourite target, it is also very vulnerable to an earthquake. It is also very vulnerable to huge cost overruns.

If the ice skating venue has already gone up by 20 per cent,just imagine the costs of the RAV Line. All RAVCo statistics are very suspect, particularly the glowing surveys.

In the event of an earthquake we can re-direct buses immediately; we can't do that with a subway. Another B Line bus service could be up and running between Richmond and Vancouver in no time. All we need is some political courage.

Full steam ahead

The politicians and bureaucrats have been studying all of the pros and cons of a Richmond rapid transit system for more than 20 years now and people like Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrrigan still think their own political agenda is more important then what 80 per cent of Greater Vancouver's population says.

The majority wants improved transportation and the RAV line would have been a great start for the whole of the region, along with a new rapid transit system for the northeast sector of the GVRD.

It's time for Mr. Corrigan and some of the other TransLink members to forget their personal agendas and get on with what the people want. They say we don't have the money to contribute to the project.

I doubt we will ever have the money. We did not have the money 20 years ago, but if they had proceeded then with a rapid transit system it would have cost a lot less than it will now.

Wrong tune

On Thursday afternoon, April 29, as my wife and I were waiting in line at the checkout at a Canada Safeway store, we heard something out of place.

To our surprise, and that of the customer in front of us as well, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was being sung over the store speakers. I asked the cashier if it was a radio station, but she informed me that it was Safeway's music.

Furthermore, she said that they (the Canada Safeway employees) hear it throughout the day in various versions; however, "O Canada" is never played.

Isn't it terrible when people and, in this case a corporation, forget in which country they are?

Dave Koyanagi
Richmond

Taste of goodness

Editor:

Goodness may seem to have become an elusive quality. It is important that the following story find a place among the depressing accounts which constitute many news reports.

It was the occasion of our 60th wedding anniversary. My wife and I chose a local restaurant in Richmond to celebrate the event. A bottle of good wine encouraged our choice of pricey entrees. Dessert contributed to the uneasy feeling that we were nudging $100 with even a niggardly tip.

The staff had been kind and attentive. A young couple and their little girl occupied a booth across the aisle from us and appeared mildly interested in the special treatment we were receiving. They congratulated us as they were leaving.

Shortly thereafter we reluctantly decided to leave and start on our next 60 years. When I asked for the bill our waiter informed us that there would be no bill. We asked that the manager be asked to come to our table so that we could thank him.

The waiter said, "The manager had nothing to do with it. They asked me not to tell you this but I am going to anyway. It was the young couple that sat across from you."

This happened last April and our gratitude has increased each day since.

It would be wonderful to know these nice people.

Bill Buchanan
Richmond