Today's Province Newspaper carries an article that in the print addition carries a planning headline and in the electronic edition has another. You can read it here. I'm tired of reading negative, after negative story on every news topic, so I'd like to focus on the positive."Transportation Minister Shirley Bond is more interested in getting things done than in how they are done. That’s why the TransLink legislation she introduced Thursday changed the rules on how the transportation authority does its planning, she says. Instead of having to detail funding for a 10-year plan, the amendments will simply require TransLink to show every year how it will pay for the next three years of its operation."
I think this sort of planning is a huge step in the right direction and one that is based more on reality. I've seen detailed 5 and 10 year plans in business that are totally unrealistic and worthless. I worked for a large corporation that loved them. As a member if the senior management team, I found the entire exercise just plain silly. Good on Minister Shirley Bond for applying some common sense and good business logic. TransLink needs to become more business minded.
With regards to public oversight I would just say that I'm all in favour of oversight and public participation. But I'm seeing more and more in the municipal setting that when it comes to technical issues, staff get kicked around by people who are not engineers, nor have the years of technical experience. I believe as in the corporate world there is a place for a Board of Directors and then public discussion as plans are made technically ready. I'm sure others here will disagree with that, but I'm seeing the harmful affects of this other system on our community.
The short of it is, better planning by TranLink equates to a better transit system for all of us. Right on Minister Shirley Bond!
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