Firefighters, cops encourage you to vote ‘yes’ in transit tax vote

SURREY (NEWS1130) – First responders are now adding their voices to the groups pushing for a ‘yes’ vote in the upcoming transportation plebiscite.

At a joint news conference in Surrey, that city’s fire chief is backing the Mayors’ Council plan along with police chiefs from Vancouver and New Westminster.

Response times have increased by about a minute over the last five years, that’s according to Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu and he adds that will only go up further if congestion isn’t addressed.

Chu says tacking on the 0.5 per cent sales tax is cheaper than the alternative.

“Well, if we want that same nine-minute response time with increased congestion, that’s going to cost more money.  So, your options are either to have the same number of police officers with a reduced level of service, reduced response time or to spend more money on police officers.”

“People get hurt and trouble starts in Vancouver’s Entertainment District when the clubs close and there are limited transportation options to get people home safely,” adds Chu.

If congestion isn’t addressed soon, Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis says the consequences will be very real.  “Less traffic, better infrastructure, positive impact on public safety will allow us to reach you faster.  In a first responder world, one minute can mean the difference between life and tragic outcomes.”

“Reduced vehicle trips from the suburbs means fewer kilometres driven and less opportunity for crashes, especially higher speed crashes on the highways,” says New Westminster Police Chief Dave Jones.  “Consistently, we have seen and heard that traffic-related matters are the number one concern for the public, as it affects both public safety and liability issues in our communities. The transit initiatives included within this referendum are a far more efficient manner of addressing those concerns, as opposed to simply increasing enforcement.”

The ‘no’ side has pointed out that both the fire chiefs and police chiefs work for the mayors, but Chu insists it was his independent decision to voice support for the ‘yes’ campaign.

Ballots for the upcoming vote will begin arriving in mailboxes on March 16th and you have until May 29th to have your say.

You can also weigh in on the mail-in vote on paying for transit and transportation improvements by joining our exclusive News1130/PlaceSpeak conversation.