Tuesday, May 9, 2023 — Can a bus be too popular?

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | ☀ High 19C | Forecast

Good morning!

My first job was working at a gas station in Vernon, and one of the last tasks of each evening shift was measuring how much gas was left in the tanks buried beneath the pumps. We did this with a high-tech method of dipping a massive pole-vault-length ruler into the tanks, like a super-sized dipstick.

Recently, while filling up late one evening, I was surprised to encounter a gas station worker with a massive ruler of her own. I guess I had assumed that, in 2023, there would be a more technologically advanced non-dipstick way to determine the quantity in the tank. And there probably is. But sometimes, I guess, it’s better to stick with a cheap low-tech method that works. Nobody has ever needed to hit CTRL-Alt-Delete on a ruler.

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NEWS

A bus too popular for its (riders’) own good?

The Fraser Valley Express’s extended route to Lougheed SkyTrain station was a hit last year. Indeed, before the ongoing transit strike ground buses to a halt, it was almost too popular, according to a new report.

While bus systems elsewhere struggled after COVID, the FVX had the opposite problem: more riders than seats to hold them. And despite hopes to add capacity, the province refused to fund more buses to carry those riders.

Now there is a plan in place to bolster BC’s most-successful post-pandemic bus line—without direct provincial government funding.

• Today, Tyler writes about a post-strike plan to add buses to deal with spiking demand for transit into Vancouver. He also has an update on his pursuit of answers about the ongoing strike. 

Related story

Need to know

⚽ Langley’s new professional soccer team tied its first-ever game in front of a sold-out crowd Sunday [Northern Tribune]

🚔 Residents of a home where more than a dozen men used weapons to smash four cars say they have no idea what sparked the attack [Abbotsford News]

🏥 A Langley doctor has warned colleagues to avoid Langley Memorial Hospital because of patient backlogs in the hospital’s emergency department; the hospital’s medical director admitted the situation is serious [CTV]

🚓 An Abbotsford man charged with an indecent act has been convicted of the same offence 10 times over the past decade [Abbotsford News]

👉 The union for striking transit workers said their employers offer to convert an RRSP into a pension plan was ‘not serious’ [CBC]

💻 The Internet may protect you from dementia, believe it or not [Vancouver Sun]

🧹 Chilliwack residents are being asked to help name its new bike lane sweeper; you can submit your suggestion here; the top three will be put to the public for a vote [City of Chilliwack]

🏔 The snow pack in the Fraser River basin is below normal, suggesting a reduced risk of late-spring flooding in the Fraser Valley, though the weather could change that [BC River Forecast Centre]

🚒 Indigenous leaders spoke about the importance for first-responders to understand the communities they’re helping during emergencies [Chilliwack Progress]

🔥 Controlled burns will take place periodically north of Boston Bar throughout May [Hope Standard]

⚖ A man charged with murder in connection with a 2020 killing in Mission has instead pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge [Mission Record]

🚨 A test of BC’s emergency alert system will take place tomorrow afternoon just before 2pm [BC Government]

👉 A teenager has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Carson Cremini in Langley four years ago [Langley Advance Times]

🔥 Why does Northern Alberta have an earlier wildfire season than Southern BC? It’s partly because of something called the ‘spring dip’ [CBC/story is from 2019]

🛍️ M&M Food Market is undertaking an aggressive coast-to-coast expansion, wanting you to grow alongside with them. Learn more about opening a franchise in Abbotsford or Mission.*

*Sponsored Listing

The Agenda

Dewdney’s troubled bridge to be replaced

The Dewdney Bridge east of Mission is set to be replaced with a new crossing.

BC’s transportation ministry will reveal a proposed design concept for the bridge at a community information session at the Leq’á:mel First Nation Community Hall Wednesday at 5:30pm. Participants will have an opportunity to share their feedback at the event.

The cost and funding will be determined once the design is finalized. The project is estimated to take two years to complete once construction begins.

The Dewdney Bridge was built in 1958. The ministry says it's due for replacement based on its age and the changing standards of design and use.

In 2015, the crossing was closed for several days after road maintenance workers discovered one of the steel caps supporting the bridge deck was damaged, causing the bridge to settle on the support beam. That same year the ministry said the bridge would need to be replaced by 2019.

“There have been no issues or concerns since the September 2015 repairs were completed,” the ministry told The Current in an email.

Design work for the new bridge began in 2019. At that time the ministry estimated that nearly 5,000 vehicles crossed the bridge each day.

Fort Langley looks to avoid mosquito repeat

After last year’s mosquito infestations, the Fort Langley Community Association is hosting an informational session for its residents about how to control the insect population.

Experts from Morrow BioScience Ltd (the contractor used by the Fraser Valley Regional District and Metro Vancouver) will speak to residents at the Fort Langley Community Hall Wednesday at 7:30pm. The event will also be cast live on the association’s Facebook page.

Last year’s freshet created a particularly pesky mosquito season. Morrow treated nearly 3,000 hectares in the Fraser Valley last year, coming in $130,000 over its $436,500 budget. Yet it still received more than 100 messages about the mosquito infestations. Most of the complaints within the Fraser valley Regional District came from residents in Chilliwack, Agassiz, and Mission.

Mosquitos were also a major nuisance in Metro Vancouver and Langley. The FLCA said the bugs were so plentiful that “local businesses suffered economically.”

Wednesday’s information session will be followed by a chance to ask questions.

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