Wednesday - July 24, 2024 - Overcrowded FVX buses get early relief

🌤 High 23C

Good morning!

The last time I wrote about my family playing Settlers of Catan was in November, after we had played the game for the first time and all had enjoyed it, even as it lasted deep into the night. We’ve played intermittently since, with my eight-year-old teaming up with an adult. Last night, despite asking to be on a team again, he was forced to strike out on his own. He is always an enthusiastic trash-talker during family board games, so you can imagine what it was like when he stole all my lumber and trounced us on his own. We might never hear the end of it.

– Tyler

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.

NEWS

Wanted: A new mayor for Harrison Hot Springs

By the end of September, Harrison Hot Springs will have a new mayor—and at least one new member of council.

Coun. John Allen has announced that he will be stepping down from his council seat to run for mayor in the upcoming Harrison by-election. Allen was former mayor Ed Wood’s lone ally on council before Wood abruptly resigned in June, and has run in every mayoral election for decades.

An election date has also been confirmed, with voters going to the polls on Sept. 21.

Allen was the only sitting councillor to seek the mayor’s chair. Councillors had until Monday to announce their resignation, and Wood and Allen’s opposition—Couns. Leo Facio, Michie Vidal, and Allan Jackson—all opted to stay in their seats for the upcoming term.

• Today, Grace looks at Harrison’s upcoming by-election and what past elections suggest about the potential future for the village.

Related

Need to Know

🚓 A Chilliwack man allegedly stole a truck from a repair shop and drove it into the owner—then two police vehicles [Mission Record]

🏥 On Tuesday, patients attending Mission Memorial Hospital’s ER were told to go to Abbotsford or Mission for treatment [CTV]

💧 Local governments are considering asking the province (again) to actually fund the floodwork it says is necessary [Vancouver Sun]

‼ BC’s child advocate is warning of a crisis in child welfare staffing because social workers are burned out and quitting [CP/Castanet]

👉 A Chilliwack man has started his own business giving people tours of the history and art of the city [Chilliwack Progress]

🥎 An Abbotsford softball player’s walk-off grand slam homer won bronze for Canada [Abbotsford News]

🚔 Police released a photo of a Langley teen’s last known location before he was killed [Vancouver is Awesome] / Investigators are hoping to speak to the teen’s friends and acquaintances [IHIT]

💣 Nearly 1,000 guns, ammo, grenades, and missiles were seized from a Mission senior after a medical call [Mission Record]

👉 Amethyst Books & Essence is closing after 19 years in business in Chilliwack [Fraser Valley Today]

🚨 Abbotsford police are seeking witnesses after a cyclist was struck by a vehicle and seriously hurt [CityNews]

🗳 A driver is facing charges after a crash on Highway 1 in Langley yesterday [Langley Advance Times]

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The Agenda

Overcrowding complaints speed up FVX expansion plans

The uber-popular Fraser Valley Express will get another bus in September rather than in January.

The Route 66 bus line between Chilliwack and Lougheed Station has been a hit since it was created nearly a decade ago. But in recent years, its exploding popularity has frequently left riders unable to board because vehicles are already at capacity. (On Saturday morning, an FVC reporter passed the bus travelling between Chilliwack and Abbotsford with many of its passengers standing in the aisles; weekend service is traditionally a slower day for transit services.)

BC Transit had planned to add three buses in January to improve service. Complaints about overcrowding, and bypassing passengers are forcing BC Transit to expedite those plans. A new report for the Fraser Valley Regional District says a heavy duty bus has been found that can start service in September. That will increase costs, but high ridership means that revenue has been significantly higher than expected and should easily cover the increased expense. Two more buses will follow in January. However, the vehicles will be stationed in Abbotsford, rather than at the start of the route in Chilliwack, meaning that more than one-third of their time on the roads will be spent out of service.

Overcrowding is partly linked to the number of people using the bus to travel the full length of the bus route, from Chilliwack to Lougheed Skytrain Station, the FVRD report says. In May, we published the account of an FVX bus driver who wrote that drivers have safety concerns about having so many riders on board, and about frequently having to leave upset riders behind.

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🗓 Things to do

Baby sense: Babies under two are invited to the City of Langley Library for sensory play and social time every Wednesday at 10am. (Parents are also welcome.) Toys are provided. Details online.

Park Petty-ness: Hope's Concerts in the Park is back on Friday, July 26 with Maryjane's Last Dance. The Tom Petty tribute band will be in Memorial Park's bandshell starting at 6:30pm. Details online.

Ribs return: Chilliwack Ribfest returns for its second year at Vedder Park from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28. Try ribs from five different cooks, plus enjoy a beer garden, bounce houses, and more. Admission is by donation. Details online.

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