The Editor,
Re. "Another Evergreen delay?" (The Tri-City News, April 22).
Joe Trasolini, mayor of our wonderful city of Port Moody, wants residents, commuters and business owners to lobby TransLink and Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom to get work done on the long-delayed Evergreen Line.
Honestly, Mayor Trasolini, I wouldn't hold my breath while waiting for Port Moody residents to contact TransLink given the recent apathy displayed by residents when less than 9% of eligible voters could be bothered voting on our city borrowing $16 million to build a new fire station. Something that will affect Port Moody residents' taxes for years.
While the lack of adequate transportation is a major concern in Port Moody, it might surprise the mayor some residents do not want to see the Evergreen Line built here for fear of crime and drugs increasing in our fair city.
Here are some interesting statistics about existing SkyTrain lines and stations:
In 2009, transit police recorded more than 28,000 incidents, 3,500 serious crimes for everything from possession of stolen property to drug trafficking.
Both the Broadway-Commercial and Surrey stations had more than 60 violent crimes last year: assaults, robberies, sexual assaults and weapons offences. Metrotown in Burnaby was a distant third at 26, followed by New Westminster at 25.
12% of crime in Burnaby and Vancouver happens within 250 m of SkyTrain stations and 4% of crime in the case of Surrey. Drug crime is the most prevalent within those zones.
While I support the building of the Evergreen Line to help eliminate our transportation woes and revitalize our city centre, and as improvements in infrastructure generally lead to an increase in both commercial and residential property prices in an area, I am concerned our city, which currently has minimal crime, might see crime levels increase significantly.
Rosemary Small, Port Moody
