Bud Mercer: Chilliwack Election Transit Questionnaire Response

1. Will you prioritize the opening of a new transit operations facility? The current facilities are holding the city back from growing transit, and adopting a cleaner fleet of transit vehicles.

Yes - the City as part of it’s “green plan” need to transition to a green fleet. I have and will continue to lobby for this. A modern transit facility is required especially with the changing needs of a “greener” fleet

2. Will you prioritize the construction of a proper downtown transit exchange? The current setup requires transit vehicles to make large loops around a variety of city blocks and through a number of signalized intersections just to turn around at the end of a route or to switch from one route to another. This is a major detriment to providing frequent and reliable transit. Passengers may need to travel a great distance just to get from one of our current "downtown exchange" stops to another.

Yes - agree fully

3. Will you support increased service levels and reliability, including on Sunday's & Holidays? People who get around by transit need to do so, even on the weekend. On Sundays, the main route in Chilliwack, route 51 only runs hourly, with a late start and early end.

Yes - we need to continue to work with BC Transit to add hours to our buses. This then requires an increased budget allocation from the city which I support. This also fits nicely with the “green” plan

4. Will you work to see Handy Dart service extended to weekends? In Chilliwack, people who rely on Handy Dart to get around, are not able to do so except during "normal business hours" Monday-Friday. This is inequitable.

Yes - couldn’t agree more!