The Editor,
Re. “Which route do you prefer for 159/169?” (The Tri-City News, Feb. 10).
I have been a transit rider for 30 years and have made it an intentional choice despite the challenges and extended time requirements.
I chose to live in Citadel Heights due to the 159 bus route going through and directly to Braid SkyTrain station. Over the past years, the service has been reduced, the length increased and the reliability dropped so I have to drive to a station and take the train, adding traffic on an the already congested Mary Hill Bypass.
The congestion is so bad that every morning at the lights at Shaughnessy and Mary Hill, we have vehicles choosing to make and illegal turn and go right at the stop and not wait in line for the free right. We have had near collisions on an almost daily basis.
A number of our neighbours would happily take the 159 if they could get on it with regularity.
The other option is having a shuttle like Fraser Health has to meet the needs of the community in Surrey from King George station to the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre, the emergency room and Surrey Central Station. This runs every 15 minutes to get the community, patients and staff around.
Perhaps TransLink can set up a shuttle for the industrial areas as there is not a volume but a need for access.
Thank you once again for your article.
A. Sigardo, Port Coquitlam
