A drop in emergency response times, fewer fights between drunks on the Granville strip and more people taking transit are reasons Police Chief Jim Chu cited Wednesday in explaining his support for a 10-year plan devised by the region's mayors to cut traffic congestion.
Chu joined New Westminster Police Chief Dave Jones and fire chiefs from Vancouver and Surrey to call on voters to support a proposed 0.5 per cent transit and transportation tax to help pay for the $7.5 billion plan that includes downtown late-night bus service.
"We believe late-night transit will provide a means for people to disperse to get home safely and that will improve public safety," said Chu, noting some fights on the Granville strip are related to disputes over the limited number of taxis available once the bars close at 3 a.m.
Late-night bus service, he added, will also likely motivate people who plan to drink downtown to leave their cars at home and take a bus to and from the bar.
Over the past five years, he noted, emergency response times for Vancouver police increased by an average of one minute. He said traffic congestion plays a part in increasing the response times and warned that more officers will need to be hired to keep an average nine-minute response time, if congestion continues at the current rate.
"That's going to cost more money," said Chu, who spoke to reporters from a parking lot across from the Surrey bus loop near city hall. "So your options are either to have the same number of police officers and a reduced level of service, a reduced response time or to spend more money on more police officers."
The involvement of Chu and emergency services chiefs in the Yes side camp comes three days after an Insights West poll showed a majority of respondents planned to vote No in the plebiscite, which begins next week when Metro Vancouverites receive ballots in the mail.
Chu and Jones explained they were not urged by Robertson or the mayors' council on regional transportation to join the Yes side. They said they made up their minds in mid-February after the city's director of transportation, Jerry Dobrovolny, presented the plan to B.C. municipal chiefs.
Jones acknowledged the role of a police chief is "a bit quasi-political at times" but said his department's surveys and data show traffic congestion is getting worse in New Westminster.
Also, he added, the constant flow of emails he receives from citizens every week saying that hiring more police officers and writing more tickets is not the way to curb congestion is further evidence a different approach is needed.
"And this [mayors' plan] is seen as a better solution to both safety and liveability in the community," said Jones, whose support is backed by the City of New Westminster, which is promoting the Yes side on billboards in that city.
Chu and Jones declined to comment on the progress — or lack of it — from the Yes side, which is being led by Mayor Gregor Robertson and Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner, who are chairperson and vice-chairperson respectively of the mayors' council on regional transportation.
In taking a question about the Insights West poll, Robertson stood at a lectern with acting-Surrey mayor Barbara Steele and said "as experienced politicians, we look at polls with skepticism."
"The real poll is on the election results and we won't see those for several months," said Robertson, referring to Elections B.C.'s projection that results won't likely be forwarded to the B.C. Legislature until the summer.
Steele noted she and Robertson recently ran civic election campaigns "and we know what those online polls are like and, quite frankly, they didn't predict the Surrey election anywhere near what happened."
No one from the RCMP attended the news conference. Insp. Ed Boettcher, the officer in charge of the B.C. RCMP communications services, said in an emailed statement "it is not the RCMP's practice to attempt to influence public opinion on any referendum or plebiscite. We remain neutral on how the money is raised."
Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis said a forecast of one million more people expected to move into Metro Vancouver by 2040 will mean more congestion and hamper response times, if alternatives are not in place to move people and vehicles.
"It's our belief that this transit plan will allow us to maintain a prompt response time to our residents and business owners," Garis said. "Our concern is about the risk of loss of life and property damage in a gridlock situation."
Garis said his reading of the plan is that Metro Vancouver will see a 20 per cent reduction in traffic congestion once the mayors' plan is fully implemented.
The plan includes a light-rail transit system for Surrey, a subway along the Broadway corridor, more buses, late-night buses, more frequent SeaBus and HandyDart service, more SkyTrain cars and upgrades to roads and cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
The plan, however, relies on substantial investments from the provincial and federal governments, which haven't committed to the plan. A 0.5 per cent increase to the seven per cent sales tax would equate to roughly $250 million per year towards the cost of the $7.5 billion plan.
"Less traffic, better infrastructure, a positive impact on public safety will allow us to reach you faster," Garis said. "And in the first responder world, one minute can mean the difference between life and tragic outcomes."
Metro Vancouverites will begin receiving ballots in the mail March 16. The voting period runs until May 29 and the tax will only be implemented if 50 per cent plus one of voters agrees to the new tax. The estimated cost per household is $50 to $125 per year, depending on how much a person spends.
The tax would only apply to the majority of goods and services subject to the PST that are sold or delivered within Metro Vancouver, which stretches from West Vancouver to Langley.
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