Price Tags is asking every MLA in Metro Vancouver questions about the referendum..
Spencer Chandra Herbert, NDP MLA for Vancouver-West End
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How will you advise your constituents to vote on the Transportation & Transit Referendum?
I will encourage my West End and Coal Harbour neighbours to vote yes to cutting congestion and improving transit in the upcoming referendum. I will also continue to call on the province to give greater democratic control over to transit to local elected Mayors and councillors, and make transportation funding decisions more accountable to British Columbians.
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What is the priority in the Mayors package (if any) for your riding?
If voters vote yes – the West End and Coal Harbour will achieve dramatic improvements in transit connections to the rest of Metro Vancouver. Residents travel all over the region for school, work, and to see friends and family. Direct and fast service from the West End to other parts of Metro Vancouver, is a high priority. The proposed new B-line services to SFU, Lynn Valley, and SE Marine Drive will be a vast improvement, as will a new Seabus, more HandyDART services, and improvements to pedestrian and cyclist safety for constituents who walk and bike. Local business owners tell me they hope these improvements will also bring new customers to their stores, and cut congestion on Denman St. at rush hour by giving commuters a better way to get to work.
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How do you plan to participate in the referendum campaign?
I will work to support a yes vote by working with local organizations to ensure that the community has the information they need to understand the benefits of investing in our transit system, and to encourage people to vote. During the mobile community offices I host on street corners and throughout my community, I will engage with the community person by person to not only motivate them to vote (and vote yes), but to encourage them to get involved in the campaign.
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Any other comments?
If you want to get out of traffic jams, vote yes. If you want quicker and more efficient bus, handydart, skytrain, and seabus service vote yes. If you are concerned about climate change, vote yes. If you want a stronger economy and more local jobs, vote yes. And if you want a more accountable transit authority governed democratically vote yes, and tell the BC Liberals to fix the mess they created when taking over TransLink years ago.
