William

“I, and many, many others, need the Skytrain to UBC because it has been a hard 5 years to beat the lineups and the clock, just to get to classes on time. Having such a long commute has been extremely challenging and negatively impacted my university experience, including my ability to consistently be at campus early for work and classes, or staying late in the evening for an event. The long commute makes it hard to plan out schedules for meeting people because of the need to factor in 2 hours of travel time before and after the activity. I have to plan all of my activities around my commute. Students shouldn’t have to choose between attending or declining an event because of their commute. In anticipation of an early morning final exam, I often find myself paying for an overnight stay in the Walter Gage commuter student hostel a couple months in advance because there are a very limited number of rooms available. A Skytrain line that transports people directly to campus would not be a waste of money since it will decrease travel time substantially. In fact, it would be a great investment. Skytrain is not affected by traffic jams because it operates in the air. Translink should do away with their concern about seeing “decreased ridership” as soon as the school year is over. UBC is a city within a city. There will always be people heading into or out of UBC. Events occur on campus year-round. Skytrain will reduce the number of cars on the road entering and exiting campus on a daily basis, and it solves the problem of not having enough parking spaces at convenient locations. It will encourage people to use public transportation and will help alleviate the problem of reduced bus service that frequently happens on the weekends or once the school year is over.

Having Skytrain extend to UBC should reduce the problem of full buses passing by stops, the problem of poor reliability, and the problem of reduced service. With Skytrain to UBC, I will be able to make more commitments to school and work (I am currently employed on campus). It can reduce the stress of early morning travel and help students avoid the rush of cars on the streets. It means I can stay on campus longer in the evenings to study or attend a workshop and be reassured that even if my last bus leaves the loop, I can still use the skytrain to get partway home. It also means that I can avoid the congestion in Vancouver and on the highways. It will be a more efficient way to get to and from campus. UBC is growing steadily as a community of faculty, staff, and students. I think Translink’s customer base has been growing along with it. Overall, I think that Skytrain to UBC is a good option that has the potential to benefit many generations of students to come. It would provide a positive, noticeable difference to daily commutes.”