Editor, The News:
The ballots are in the mail and our tax dollars have been used to try and convince us that we should pay even more into TransLink, so that it too can be spent on projects benefitting others.
TransLink urges us to vote yes because if the no side wins, they claim, ‘there is no Plan B.’
They are wrong on all points.
There is no benefit for residents of Maple Ridge to vote yes because the promise of a rapid bus link to the new Evergreen SkyTrain line in Coquitlam isn’t worth it.
All this is, is a glorified No. 701 that could easily and cheaply be put into service now by taking one of the already scheduled 701s and make it an express bus direct to Coquitlam, eliminating the tour of Pitt Meadows and the many stops along Lougheed Highway to Coquitlam.
Instead, have the route go along Dewdney Trunk Road right on to Lougheed Highway, instead of going to Pitt Meadows.
Have one stop at Harris Road and perhaps one in Port Coquitlam.
As far as a Plan B, it is time we say good-bye to Metro Vancouver and get into a regional district that benefits us instead of others.
The increase in dumping fees to a minimum of $15 recently passed by Metro Vancouver penalizes Maple Ridge residents because we are the only ones who do not have organized waste pick-up paid through taxation.
Commercial companies have realized a major reduction and the ordinary citizens of Maple Ridge will be paying for it.
How much more will it take before we get out of Metro Vancouver and start working for our own benefit?
It all starts with a no vote on the Translink ballot. A no vote is the start to a better future, especially for our transit needs.
Graham Mowatt
Maple Ridge