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Dear Candidate,
On behalf of the 43,000 post-secondary students attending the University of British Columbia, the Alma Mater Society, the student society representing UBC students, I would like to offer you another opportunity to provide answers to our election questionnaire which is posted on www.studentsforbc.ca. Approximately 35,000 students are off-campus with the majority living in the City of Vancouver and transit, housing, and parks/bike ways are particularly important issues to this large demographic. Below is a brief questionnaire to get your thoughts on each of these issues and how that vision might benefit our membership. Thank you for time in responding to this request.
1. Transit
As a result of the U-Pass which provides a single-zone buss pass to all eligible UBC students, and the significant amount of construction which is limiting available parking on-campus, a significant number of UBC students are dependent upon transit to get to and from class. Since the inception of U-Pass, ridership of transit by UBC students has increased every year. While this is the desired result, we are seeing increased congestion on both the arterial and secondary routes leaving and coming to UBC. With residential housing on UBC expected to increase the on-campus population by up to 20,000 individuals, demand for this will only increase. What are your thoughts and vision for transit, and how might this be of benefit to the thousands of UBC students living on-campus?
The area around UBC obviously needs to be expanded and made more efficient to accommodate the increase in student traffic which will result in proportionally more buses. The space dedicated to lanes and pathways will be optimized so more buses can travel in and out without congestion. Timing student schedules with more precision could also help easy the heavy "all at once" flow. Another thing I want to do is adopt the city bike concept that Denmark has had since 1988, where thousands of bikes were purchased by the city to be used freely for public transportation. That would be a great way for UBC students (and Vancouver residents in general) to travel, especially if they don't live far. In the near future I want to have other ways of transportation considered, like a monorail system, similar to the sky trains only much faster and cheaper, and a high speed bullet train like Japan uses. It could be built to connect Vancouver to Interior B.C. in time for the Olympics in 2010. Finally, I'd like to add my support for free transit in Vancouver.
2. Housing
A large number of the students attending UBC and residing in Vancouver live in rental accommodations. Research has shown that the cost of rental housing in Vancouver, appropriate for students, is second only to Toronto. Furthermore, recent reports indicate that pressure on the cost and availability of rental housing will continue to increase as the children of the Baby Boom (18-29) continue to look for housing. A lot of recent development in Vancouver has been geared to more high-end multi-unit residential, and the number of new affordable rental units coming online has been relatively small. What solutions would you propose for housing in Vancouver, and how might those solutions be of benefit to the tens of thousands of UBC students looking for accessible housing off-campus?
Qualified students in Greece stay at an 'feteteke estia' which means 'student house.' It's like a hotel with a buffet restaurant where students trade food stamps that they are given for the year. Each 10 story building is long and houses around 1000 students and rooms have a study desk, single bed, sink, balcony, and a shared shower and bathroom for each floor. Bedding and laundry is done for them, room keys are stored at the front desk and there is entertainment in the lobby. There is no alcohol allowed, it is only for serious students who want to succeed. There are shuttle buses to and from the campus which cuts down on traffic and pollution. Only low income students can qualify and rent is cheap and includes food.
A high speed monorail could be built from a series of these housing if they were located North of the Vancouver International Airport and provide high speed transportation to and from the campus.
3. Parks/bikeways
Most university students are living on a fixed or limited income that leaves little for things like automobiles or discretionary entertainment or recreation. Consequently, a large number of UBC students use bicycles for getting about in Vancouver, and Vancouver Parks for their basic recreation needs. The growth in market housing and commercial space is increasing the amount of vehicle traffic on the roads and also consuming available land. What are your thoughts and vision on parks and bike ways and how might this be of benefit to the tens of thousands of UBC students living in Vancouver?
I plan to deploy a city bike concept like the one used in Denmark so Vancouver's roads and sidewalks will change accordingly to accommodate such an increase in peddle power. Some area's will be patched or re-paved to bicyclist standards while other area's will be widened or have designated lanes for bikers, like on the Burrard st. bridge. Parks and other untouched natural land will be preserved so they'll always be there. I want to make the best of Vancouver so it's important that Vancouverites show their appreciation by supporting me at the polls.
Peace and thanks, Joe
www.604industries.com/votejoe |
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