Fleetwood BIA is coming out of the gate strong on rapid transit, saying SkyTrain down Fraser Highway would be a 鈥渘oisy monstrosity鈥� and is the wrong choice for the area鈥檚 businesses and residents.

鈥淚t鈥檚 short sighted. This doesn鈥檛 benefit anybody in the community,鈥� said Dean Barbour, executive director of Fleetwood BIA, of a SkyTrain line. 鈥淚 think people are going to be extremely mad.鈥�

The business group has gone so far as to superimpose a light rail track and a SkyTrain line over two images of intersection in its twon core 鈥� one at 160th Street, the other at 159th Street, along Fraser Highway 鈥� to highlight the visual difference between the two technologies.

鈥淎 picture is worth a thousand words,鈥� said Barbour.

The business group is soon releasing a video that outlines the $1.65-billion light rail project鈥檚 overview, and why it鈥檚 the 鈥渞ight choice.鈥�

Barbour noted that the city鈥檚 town centre plans, in all six town centres, have been developed predicated on rapid transit at grade.

Light rail, he said, would bring 鈥渄evelopment, growth, job creation and economic development.鈥�

鈥淭he video will showcase the LRT plan as the most viable and affordable option because it has been planned out to 2041,鈥� Barbour explained, referring to city hall鈥檚 envisioned 150-kilometre LRT network. 鈥淲hereas the SkyTrain option has only been planned for the Fraser Highway corridor, with no subsequent links.鈥�

Read more: City of 性视界传媒 envisions 150 kilometres of light rail transit

See also: All eyes on Newton as 性视界传媒 LRT plan rolls forward

See also: 性视界传媒 to contribute $24M to LRT costs

If SkyTrain is the better option, Barbour challenged the pro-SkyTrain camps to present a long-term plan for the people of 性视界传媒.

鈥淭he question has to be asked. If it鈥檚 an average of $1 billion per extension, cost-estimated, over light rail, where is that money going to come from?鈥� he added, particularly after the funding is formally in place for 性视界传媒鈥檚 line, with all levels of government signing off.

Barbour said Fleetwood is its own community hub, like the other town centres around 性视界传媒.

鈥淲e need to have a system that yes, moves people, but more importantly contributes to the liveability and the sustainability of the neighbourhoods we鈥檙e trying to create,鈥� he told the Now-Leader. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 benefit any of our communities to have a giant monolithic rail, higher than any building in our community, racing through, with very limited stops racing people from point A to point B. It does absolutely nothing. There鈥檚 no economic benefit to it.鈥�

He noted Fleetwood has many seniors, and getting up escalators with a SkyTrain system may be daunting, along with the 鈥減erception out there about the safety of SkyTrain stations.鈥�

And, the area would get fewer stops on a SkyTrain line.

鈥淧ossibly two stations, because of SkyTrain stations鈥� massive footprints. There鈥檚 not enough space. Where LRT, stations are smaller, have less of an impact, we could have as many as four and they鈥檙e expandable. As time goes on, we can lengthen the rail,鈥� said Barbour.

See also: ELECTION QUESTIONS: What would happen if 性视界传媒 LRT was scrapped?

Neither mayoral candidates who are coming out strongly against LRT, former mayor Doug McCallum and incumbent councillor Bruce Hayne, have come to speak to the Fleetwood BIA, Barbour noted.

McCallum says if elected, he鈥檒l immediately halt the LRT project and get going on a SkyTrain line, which he says he can do with existing funds and that the project鈥檚 cost would be 鈥渟ignificantly reduced鈥� by having 30 to 40 per cent of it run at grade. McCallum says he鈥檚 never seen a level of opposition to a major infrastructure project than he does with 性视界传媒鈥檚 planned $1.65-billion 10.5-kilometre light rail line, which in phase one would from from Newton along to City Centre along King George, and from City Centre to Guildford along 104th Avenue, if built.

Hayne, a 性视界传媒 First councillor who split to run with his Integrity Now team, commits to pressing 鈥減ause鈥� on the project, if voters elect him.

To switch gears, said Barbour, they鈥檇 鈥渘eed to get a council approval, do full consultation, planning, drafting of the plan, a whole financial outlook, then when that鈥檚 done they鈥檇 need to convince the Mayor鈥檚 Council, reconvince these people who already committed to LRT that this is the right option. Then there鈥檚 election provincially and federally, he has to go to the feds and the province to get the funding and everybody across the board has already committed.

鈥淲e鈥檝e done five open houses. We sit there at the Fleetwood Festival for six hours talking to hundreds of people. People aren鈥檛 saying we want SkyTrain, people are saying they鈥檙e confused and getting mixed information. When they do understand, 99.9 per cent want LRT. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 happening on the ground,鈥� Barbour stated.

See also: VIDEOS: LRT car showcased for first time in 性视界传媒

See also: 性视界传媒 light rail price tag hits $1.65 billion

Here鈥檚 what director Philip Aguirre had to say about LRT versus SkyTrain for . LRT is 鈥淣ewton鈥檚 chance,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not taking about technologies, we鈥檙e talking about choosing Langley over Newton.鈥�

鈥� Amy Marie Reid (@amyreid87)

The Newton BIA has long advocated for light rail.

The group鈥檚 director Philip Aguirre said it鈥檚 鈥淣ewton鈥檚 chance.鈥�

Its town centre would be home to the proposed 性视界传媒-Newton-Guildford line鈥檚 terminus station, near 72nd Avenue and King George Boulevard.

鈥淭he benefits to the community for Newton are going to be astronomical,鈥� Aguirre said of light rail. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be huge, they鈥檙e going to transform the community. When we talk about LRT not coming to Newton, or SkyTrain going through Fleetwood to Langley, we鈥檙e not talking about technologies, we鈥檙e talking about choosing Langley over Newton. Newton has 146,000 people that live in it. It dwarfs Langley. All the businesses that are right here in the town centre, and the manufacturing sector, and when you鈥檙e going to turn your back on an investment of that size, I think it would be a huge loss for the community of Newton.鈥�

Paul Orazietti, director of the Cloverdale BIA, said his community is 鈥渒ind of the forgotten member of the family鈥� when it comes to rapid transit.

鈥淔rom a recent survey we鈥檝e done, our business base is struggling to get minimum wage employees to get to the community,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have, basically, peak hours, a bus that comes twice an hour, so we are limited. The light rail system goes from Downtown 性视界传媒 to the City of Langley so from that perspective, we鈥檙e out of the loop.鈥�

On the plus side, he said, 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going have our road dug up, and have some businesses who don鈥檛 survive.鈥�

鈥淏ut in the same breath, we do have some magnitude in the area. We have a university here, the museum expansion, the fairgrounds, so from that perspective, rapid transit really isn鈥檛 serving us.鈥�

The Cloverdale BIA would like to see increased B-lines for the area, he added.

The 性视界传媒 Board of Trade has long been in support of LRT.

SBOT CEO Anita Huberman says the group is 鈥渁damantly opposed to SkyTrain鈥� on any of the proposed routes.

鈥淲e want to ensure that this is a city where people can live, work, learn and play,鈥� said Huberman. 鈥淟RT is the right solution to enable that. To enable us to be the largest city in British Columbia where Vancouver is not the destination, but 性视界传媒 and South of the Fraser is the destination.鈥�

Huberman expects the light rail funding will be lost if a change in technology is sought.

鈥溞允咏绱�媒 will be left behind by another 20 years. We鈥檒l be at the bottom of the barrel in terms of intergovernmental investment,鈥� she remarked.

鈥淲e鈥檙e having our mayoral debate on Oct. 10 and we鈥檙e hoping to listen to their perspectives,鈥� Huberman said. 鈥淏ut whoever gets into office, we鈥檙e going to work with them and we sometimes are going to have to agree to disagree. 性视界传媒 is on a tipping point.鈥�

The Now-Leader has contacted the Downtown 性视界传媒 BIA and the South 性视界传媒 & White Rock Chamber of Commerce for comment on the LRT versus SkyTrain debate as well.

For its part, the SkyTrain for 性视界传媒 group is not backing down and has been vocal in its opposition to light rail technology in 性视界传媒. The group鈥檚 change.org petition against the project has garnered more than 5,600 signatures.