Dear Editor,
Re: "Letters: Petition growing against new proposed location for Steveston bus loop"
Nine years ago, we purchased a home by the river, a park and small village for a walkable lifestyle. We paid for that property tucked in the corner of Steveston, near the river and beach.
I enjoy the bustle of people enjoying the park, yearly festivals, sports events and the normal sounds of living close to the village and river.
Now I learn that the City of Richmond and TransLink are proposing to make me and my home the centre of a bus loop.
Yes, the centre with 197 buses passing by daily. They start at 4:30 a.m. and go until late at night.
I'm not opposed to public transit, but most of them will be circling around on all four sides of the 18 residents and a large daycare in the middle.
They will be directly passing by on three sides due to the fishery lots on the south and east sides.
I wouldn't have bought here nine years ago if this was a bus loop.
Another resident was told by a city employee that the proposed change wouldn't affect our property values. How could it not with buses actually circling around us?
It's going to change the neighbourhood, and not for the better. The vibe is going to be destroyed.
The bus loop is being moved due to safety reasons. How will this be any safer than the current bus situation?
This issue seems complicated as Steveston is made up of privately owned land, city roads and land, federal fisheries land and park land, but there has to be a better solution.
Fisheries offered to lease the gravel lot along Chatham to TransLink, but TransLink turned it down as they don't want to lease.
Couldn't they lease on a temporary basis?
Some people remember the buses looping in the parking lot behind the Buck & Ear, but apparently that's park land and parks says no.
Jeannine Bianco
Steveston
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