The Editor,
I am writing with concerns about the new bus shelters in Port Coquitlam.
In an arrangement between the city, Coast Mountain Bus Company and Pattison Outdoor Advertising, shelters are being built that do not regard the safety and well-being of bus riders.
My concern is that the illuminating advertisements will create a reflective glare and will reduce visibility for those waiting to board transit.
The city is benefiting from the arrangement because in addition to getting “free” shelters, it is receiving revenue.
But it is failing to address the pros and cons of such an arrangement; for example, do taxpayers truly benefit from advertisements on these shelters?
City staff argue the public can wait outside the sheltered area at the bus stop to avoid the reflective glare and better see oncoming transit. But this suggestion fails to take into account that we live in a temperate rain forest and if people stood outside these shelters, they would be useless for patrons.
The city should rethink this plan and consider the safety of its residents before accepting “free” shelters and the revenue that goes along with it.
Brian Pozsonyi,
Port Coquitlam
