Friday October 30, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 87)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
R O C K
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Hands-on safety: The dangers of fireworks are front-and-centre as Halloween approaches, and Surrey RCMP are using a hands-on demonstration to remind residents to be extra careful. i see page 17
Online survey sees 800 per cent increase in White Rock/South Surrey feedback, transit officials say
TransLink’s efforts fall short: mayor Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin is calling on TransLink “to do more” with regards to engaging the community on proposed transit changes announced earlier this month. During his mayor’s report at council Monday evening, Baldwin said he has requested that staff reach out to TransLink, noting a booth at an unrelated city-hosted open house last night (Thursday, after Peace Arch News’ deadline) was not enough. “As far as community consultation goes, in my books, a session tagging onto a Development Cost Charge session really doesn’t do justice to the residents and the process of
trying to get some feedback from them on TransLink changes,” Baldwin said. “I’d like to see them, in view of the fact they take several million bucks from us each year, do a bit more in that respect.” TransLink media spokesperson Cheryl Ziola confirmed via email that besides this week’s booth at the DCC meeting, the public’s only other opportunity to provide feedback is through an online survey. When asked for a response to Baldwin’s call for increased engagement, Ziola said staff were working with the city to “identify potential opportunities” to reach out to residents. “Our experience is that we can reach more
customers if we build on scheduled vice changes – eight in total for and heavily promoted community White Rock/South Surrey, involvevents, rather than set up a standing the 351, 352, 354, C50, C51, alone event,” Ziola said. “But we C52 and C53 – at the Oct. 5 council can always do better and are always meeting that included a presenopen to new ideas and ways to reach tation from TransLink representaour customers and stakeholders.” tives. Ziola said they have received Several members of council spoke “exceptional participation” in the out about the poor transit service in online survey, including 3,770 White Rock – and the high demand Wayne Baldwin responses south of the Fraser, and for the community’s aging populamayor based on rough averages, TransLink tion – with Baldwin saying the city’s is seeing an approximately 800 per service was “crummy” compared to cent increase in public feedback from White how much funding White Rock provided Rock and South Surrey. TransLink annually. i see page 4 Council first learned of the proposed ser-
Transit user struck
A third bus-stop crash Kevin Diakiw Black Press
Boaz Joseph photo
Emergency crews respond to a woman who was injured Wednesday morning while waiting at a bus stop at 60 Avenue on 152 Street.
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A woman is lucky to have avoided serious injury after a truck crashed into a bus stop where she was waiting Wednesday morning. At about 9 a.m., a Ford F150 pickup, driven by a 17-year-old boy, was heading east on 60 Avenue and turning north onto 152 Street. The driver lost control of the truck and smashed into a bus shelter, shattering the glass at the back of the structure. A woman who was waiting for the bus was not struck directly by the truck, police say, but was thrown through the back of the shelter and sustained minor injuries. It’s the third time this month that a person has been struck by a vehicle while waiting at a bus stop. On Oct. 7, 22-year-old Evan Archibald was killed when a Jeep driven by a 17-year-old girl struck him while he waited at a bus stop on Fraser Highway near 156 Street. i see page 4
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