Keep The Pressure On

Langley Times editor Frank Bucholtz offers his opinion in his sister paper, The Surrey North Delta Leader today. Frank credits the south Fraser mayors and community leaders with TransLink getting the message. Also just as we have pointed out several times here, Tom Prendergas, new CEO of TransLink needs to be given some credit as well. I guess you could say that us rail advocates had to prepare the soil a bit by spreading some fertilizer. I won't continue on with any more thoughts of this analogy :)

New buses are being added and minds in various transportation sections are beginning to think. Frank Bucholtz has a good understanding of the light rail issues and mentions that a connection of Langley and Surrey make perfect sense. I would add Abbotsford to that list Frank, but we must start somewhere and as we and Frank point out, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts is a VERY vocal advocate and she will pull lots of weight with the provincial election coming up in 2009. That is why we say that a recently announced transportation study for Surrey is not bad news for Langley.

It should be noted that Township Councillors Jordan Bateman, Charlie Fox, and Grant Ward have been strong advocates, as well as a few positive statements that have come from Mel Kositsky and Bob Long in the past. Mayor Rick Green and new Councillor Bev Dornan were vocal about transportation and specifically light rail transit over the course of their municple campaigns and it will be intersting to see where they take that vocal support. After all, Mayor Green is the primary GVRD/MetroVancouver representative for the Township and that should bring some major pressure on the Provincial government to do something.

We are also hopeful that the Township mayor and council will rally our provincial MLA's and federal MP to place light rail south of the Fraser on a list of priority infrastructure projects for federal consideration in this big spending spree that is to come. Also on our wish list is the replacement of the New West rail bridge. MP Mark Warawa is very well versed on these subjects and it would not hurt our case of the Township and the MLA's voiced some words of encouragement to the MP sooner rather than later.