Dear Editor,
I would like to voice my opposition to CP’s expansion at your Pitt Meadows facility.
I, as a long time citizen of Pitt Meadows, living in close proximity to CP’s mainline have seen how your expansion has negatively affected our lives due to huge expansion of rail services over the past 26 years.
Trains have grown in length and frequency, to the point that we awaken at night from the rumble of your trains. CP could mitigate this effect on our residents living in proximity to the tracks by changing the rail base to absorb some, if not most of the ground effects as well as provide noise suppression in populated areas, but has chose not to, likely for financial reasons.
I walk and ride my bike on the dyke and along the perimeter of your tracks witnessing too, the noise pollution from the shunting of rail cars on your lot, with no regard to suppress the noise. I find this irresponsible, therefore my level of trust in CP being a good neighbour in the future and especially with the expansion planned at the logistics park, isn’t there.
• READ MORE: Pitt Meadows city hall and residents oppose new CP Rail operation
With this distrust in mind CP can not be trusted to responsibly do the right thing to avoid air, noise and waterway/land pollution in such close proximity to a large population in Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Port Coquitlam, your neighbours and to the crucial water ways of the Fraser and Pitt Rivers.
Storing volitile chemicals is a recipe for disaster with regard to water and land pollution. The explosive nature of storing volatile chemicals should there be a spill or explosion would surely invite catastrophy.
It is reprehensible to develop agricultural land for a car lot and chemical storage which is part of your proposal. The land currently being used to stage vehicles could have multi levels to accomplish the same result and not pave over agricultural land. Agricultural lands will be more important in the future than now to support our population. Again money or the lack of forethought seems to be your driving force.
Yes, CP tracks and yard has been in Pitt Meadows for many years and here prior to our family moving where we did, however 26 years ago we rarely heard or felt the vibration created by the trains then, they were shorter trains with less mass. Times have changed for the better for CP, with record volume and revenue in the past 26 years with no effort to mitigate, air, land and noise pollution.
Pitt Meadows council and the citizens of Pitt Meadows stand opposed to your expansion in our lovely bit of paradise so I ask you to be responsible and think outside the box to meet your business growth plans while caring for the environment.
Doug Childress, Pitt Meadows
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