Light Rail: Tomorrow's Ticket to Ride

Our first Langley2020 conversation flows out of a dialogue that is already happening throughout the community: transit and rail.

There is no doubt that Langley is horribly underserved when it comes to transit service. This poor service trains generation after generation of Langley resident to drive everywhere--work, school, play, shopping. In these days of climate change, residents are rightfully demanding that TransLink provide Langley drivers with other options.

Running alongside this conversation is the ongoing discussion about the future of rail in our community.

The letters and material I've read thus far really don't address the major traffic concern in Langley: 200th Street. Whether it's that abysmal freeway interchange, the pending opening of the Golden Ears Bridge, or the traffic queue coming into Willowbrook, people are tired of 200th.

This leads me to my first Langley2020 paper: we need light rail transit along 200th St., from the Golden Ears Bridge to Willowbrook (and eventually, to Brookswood and Murrayville/Aldergrove/Abbotsford). And to get this rail line, we need to somehow convince Surrey and other communities to work with us on it. Click here to read the PDF, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

What is Langley2020.com?

Langley2020.com is a place for ideas. All too often in government, we limit our attention to the weekly agenda or the issue of the moment. While it is necessary to do those things, we should never forget the long-term. What is our collective vision for Langley? What does the future hold? How can we be better tomorrow than we are today?

Langley2020.com is all about starting conversations. There are issues we need to talk about as a community. I don't have all the answers; no one person does. But together we can--and will--find our way forward.

Over the next few weeks and months, I will be adding more Langley2020 conversation starters on a number of issues. These are starting points for dialogue. They are things that I'm researching and thinking about, and am interested in your comments and thoughts.

LangleyPolitics.com is a great vehicle for short bursts of conversation. Langley2020.com is different; it is a place to post documents that could be discussed over a longer period of time. The documents will stay on the main page here for long periods of time.

So welcome to Langley2020.com. I'm glad you're here. Our community should be glad too; we need your help, your input, your ideas, your dialogue, your constructive criticism to make Langley an even better place to live.