Better Environmentally Sound Transportation cites "dramatic" funding losses
Local nonprofit group Better Environmentally Sound Transportation was once the mouth that roared when it came to transit issues.
However, executive director Margaret Mahan told the Straight that federal funding losses mean she and her staff are too busy to mount an official response to the November 6 release of B.C. comptroller general Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland's groundbreaking report on the governance structures of TransLink and B.C. Ferries.
Instead, on the same day, BEST released a two-page e-mail congratulating the City of Vancouver on the completion of the Burrard Street Bridge bike-lane trial's completion.
“Like many environmental groups in British Columbia, we have suffered dramatic losses in funding through the recent economic crisis; foundation funds are down, and we lost our [provincial] gaming money,” Mahan said by phone on November 10. “We're still concentrating on putting together programs that people can participate in that allow citizens to vote with their feet.”
BEST is still organizing the annual June Bike Month events in the city, as well as the popular bicycle valet for organized events and an upcoming program on obesity, according to Mahan. She said BEST's budget is “falling”, but sits between $200,000 and $300,000 a year.
Meanwhile, Kitsilano-based Voters Taking Action on Climate Change, a group of local residents who got together in 2006, told media by e-mail days after the Wenezenki-Yolland report's release that it did not go far enough.
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Poor puppies!
NEITHER DID THIS STORY
We need to do away with TransLink and its silly schemes such as the $10 million dollars being spent on rapid transit studies which are really make work programs. As CEO, I would do the following:
”¢ I would fire everyone making over $150K, or if the employee has any merit, give the employee the option to stay on at a reasonable salary. Transit is a very simple business which doesn’t involve sending rockets to the moon and nobody deserves to make over $150K at TransLink. Any high priced transit executives or consultants who are government patronage appointees providing little value to TransLink would be quickly fired.
Ӣ I would lower transit fares to $2 for all zones. Transit service hours would be adjusted to balance expenditures with revenues.
Ӣ I would immediately cancel the $10 million rapid transit study for the UBC and Evergreen lines and put an end to any further regional transit expansions.
Ӣ I would promote efficient local bus networks to encourage people to school or work near their residences rather than continue to build a regional transit network creating unsustainable transit sprawl bringing in more people to the region to benefit developers and corrupt politicians on the take.
”¢ I would shut down TransLink’s zillion dollar website used for propaganda and replace it with a very basic website giving transit information about transit schedules and fares.
Ӣ I would relocate TransLink from its ivory palace in Burnaby to a central modest location.
Ӣ I would give trolley bus drivers an immediate 25% raise for the increased difficultly to drive trolley buses and would ban the use of diesel buses on trolley bus routes. Other bus drivers would receive an immediate 15% raise.
Ӣ I would immediately stop all diesel bus rapid transit and night bus service as the noise and pollution discriminates against residents on bus routes.
Ӣ I would extend the U-Pass to all colleges and universities or to none to end discrimination against certain students.
Doing all of these things would end the corruption and incompetence at TransLink.
Your "suggestions" would be a disaster financially for TranLink and leave thousands of people with no transportation. To "immediately stop all diesel bus rapid transit" without first investing millions in an alternative would mean no bus service on many routes. As well, banning diesel buses on trolley routes would mean no service when construction, accidents or mechanical failures preclude the use of trolley buses.
I think that bus service to UBC at 3 am in the morning isn’t particularly necessary and cutting back service would be easy without any serious transit issues. Obviously, without the diesel bus rapid transit service in the day on existing trolley bus routes, more trolley buses would need to be purchased and could be delivered within 90 days in today's market. So, yes, you are right, I would need to compromise and wait maybe 90 days to end the 99 B-Line and other similar diesel bus rapid transit service.
Anyhow, I'm not expecting a call from TransLink any time soon and would never take an offer from TransLink in any case. If you can keep a secret, just between you and me, I've heard rumours that TransLink is gone after the Olympics and that may be part of the reason for the current CEO bailing at TransLink.