Monday - Sept. 9, 2024 - Study: Abbotsford should streamline bus system

⛅ High 23C

Good morning!

I like video games; I just usually find them too stressful to play. After my dad introduced me to Oblivion—a dungeons-and-dragons-style video game—I would have to listen to a carefully curated playlist to get in the right mood. (The playlist was "Africa” by Toto, “All My Exes Live in Texas” by George Strait, and “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mixalot; it played on repeat for hours.)

Because of this, I am typically not waiting on the edge of my seat for a new video game release. But Weta Workshop—the people who designed the props for the Lord of the Rings movies—has been working on a new hobbit-themed game. It promises to be a cozy, adventure-less exploration of the Shire, and I can’t wait to give it a try.

Weta says it will be released this year. But 2024 is now half over—so Weta folks, if you are reading this, please release it sooner rather than later. I want to get to the Shire.

– Grace

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope (We have had to temporarily change our forecast links to the Weather Network due to a technical error.)

NEWS

A Q&A with Hope’s mayor

Hope Mayor Victor Smith says he is optimistic his community’s emergency room can avoid the fate that has befallen those in other small British Columbia towns over the last year.

In a wide-ranging mid-term interview with The Current, Smith talked about why he thinks Hope’s ER can avoid temporary closures, the future of a large chunk of waterfront land, planning to avoid a future flood, and what he’d like to see in the upcoming provincial election.

• This fall, we’re speaking to mayors across the region about the state of their communities, and their goals for the second half of their terms. You can read our conversation with Smith here.

• Watch for conversations with the region’s other mayors in the coming weeks.

Related

Need to Know

🗨 After the First Nations Leadership Council criticized BC Conservative leader John Rustad for ‘throwing Indigenous people under the bus‘ for political advantage Chilliwack BC Conservative candidate Á’a:líya Warbus said in a statement that ‘there are competing interests that need to be worked out’ [Chilliwack Progress] / We profiled Warbus in March [FVC]

💵 A fundraiser has been started for a Mission couple who were injured in a serious motorcycle crash earlier this summer [Mission City Record]

⚖ Sts’ailes First Nation now has control over child and family services laws for Sts’ailes children across BC [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🏗 Upgrades to UFV’s Mission campus are now complete [Province of BC]

🍴 The Taste of Abby food festival is returning this weekend [Georgia Straight]

👉 Emergency crews responded to a reported drowning at Cultus Lake Saturday [Chilliwack Progress]

⚡ A late-night vehicle crash knocked out power for more than 1,000 people in Cultus Lake [Fraser Valley Today]

🚨 A collision between a semi and a tow truck killed one person in Langley [CBC]

🐱 A Langley shelter has introduced a new pet adoption program [Aldergrove Star]

📺 A History Channel TV show featuring three Fraser Valley residents in search of historic gold near Pitt Lake has been renewed for a second season [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

💐 Abbotsford’s Archway Community Services is looking for nominations for their Community Builders’ Awards [Archway Community Services]

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The Agenda

Abbotsford should streamline its bus system, study says

Abbotsford should completely redesign its transit system, even if that means fewer places in the city have bus coverage, a joint study between the University of the Fraser Valley and non-profit regional rail advocate says.

Over the summer, UFV and Mountain Valley Express (MVX) undertook several surveys of people in Abbotsford, asking how they would like to see their transit improve. The study focused on the introduction of regional rail to the Fraser Valley, looking at MVX’s proposal to create a system that would connect the Fraser Valley to Vancouver and Whistler. The surveys also asked participants about the changes and challenges they had experienced in public transportation.

In Abbotsford, the study said, participants wanted more frequent buses and better route coverage throughout the city. MVX suggested that BC Transit, as a way to improve transit without spending more money, should streamline bus routes in the city so frequency could increase, even if that meant few or no buses on less popular routes. The study suggested that Abbotsford should improve its cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to “counterbalance” the loss of some bus routes. (BC Transit and the City of Abbotsford have previously indicated that they too wish to focus resources on improving core routes.)

The study also suggested adding dedicated bus lanes to Marshall Road, Clearbrook Road, and Highway 11.

“Ultimately, we believe there is a rapidly broadening public consensus regarding the region's need for a modernized, forward-thinking transportation system,” the study authors wrote. “We accept that momentous effort will be required in mustering the political will and unity for such a project; however, we also believe it to be far from unattainable.”

The study also advocated for regional rail in the Fraser Valley, pointing to surveys that showed at least some Abbotsford residents wanted more passenger rail. Of 210 people surveyed, around 20 people said they would use regional rail every day. (A little less than half of all participants said they would use it a few times a month or less.) There was a stronger appetite for rapid rail, with roughly 40 participants saying they would use it every day, and twice that number saying they would use rapid rail at least once a week.

As the Current has reported on before, there would be challenges in instituting either a regional or rapid rail system in the Fraser Valley. You can read more about that in our passenger train Q&A article.

Hope supportive housing building gets final council vote

Hope council will be asked today to give the final go-ahead for a proposed supportive housing facility and homeless shelter next to Fraser Canyon Hospital.

BC Housing hopes to build a three-storey building with 56 supportive housing units and 15 shelter beds on 7th Avenue. Hope previously rezoned the property in 2022 following an extensive public consultation process. Now an architect for BC Housing has applied for the development permit necessary to actually build the new care home.

The building will be managed by the Hope and Area Transition Society. BC Housing hopes that construction could start in January, with completion eyed for the following winter.

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🤝 Now hiring

• Motorcycle mechanic apprentice at High Road Vancouver in Langley

• Companion at Right at Home Canada in Abbotsford

• Bus driver at the Mission School District

• Artistic director at the Chilliwack School of Performing Arts

• Pastry cook at Harrison Hot Springs Resort

Hiring in the Fraser Valley? Reply back and let us know!

Classifieds

• Mom and son (11) require affordable two-bedroom Langley apartment. [Email]

• Brown couch, tan recliner love seat and chair. $300. 604-378-4513

• Purging-Leather furniture, treadmill, exercise bike, other fitness [Email]

• Free sofabed. Good condition. New mattress. 604-744-1973 You pick up.

• Happy birthday to Julie, the best mom and grandma

Annual FVC members can find a link to submit their annual classified in the weekly FVC Insiders Edition. Become a FVC member here.

🗓 Things to do

Flower arranging: Learn flower arranging at Greendale Acres in Chilliwack each Wednesday in September. Pick flowers and take photos during the golden hour before arranging your own bouquets. Tickets online.

Nature club: The Abbotsford Mission Nature Club holds its monthly meeting on the second Wednesday of the month at the Ravine Park Hatchery (2395 Crescent Way by the Abbotsford Arts Centre). This month’s topic is “Mosses and Lichens: Beauty and Beyond.” Details online.

Corn maze: Langley's Eagle Acres Dairy Farm is hosting a corn maze until Sept. 15. Visit with animals, feed the cows, and enjoyed a covered hayride to the corn maze. Hours vary by day. Details online.

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Catch up

That’s it!

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