More transit will mean faster emergency response times, some Metro Vancouver police and fire chiefs declared Wednesday while pledging support for the transit referendum “Yes” campaign.
Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu said the more cars there are on the road, the longer it takes for police, firefighters, and paramedics to get to the scene of an emergency – a delay he suggested could have deadly consequences.
“It’s a life and death situation in terms of us getting to a call quickly,” Chu told reporters at a joint press conference with other police and fire chiefs.
“That’s why we’re advocating the transit referendum ‘Yes’ vote, because we believe reduced congestion will mean there will be the ability for first responders to get to those emergency calls quicker.”
An estimated one million people are expected to move into the region over the next 30 years, and Chu said response times are already on the rise.
According to his department, the time it takes officers to reach an emergency situation has increased by an average of one minute over the last five years.
That will only get worse if traffic problems aren’t addressed, Chu said.
Not everyone was persuaded by the chiefs’ argument, however. The “No” campaign said bringing emergency response times into the debate over a 0.5 per cent sales tax hike is alarmist and inappropriate.
“It’s really troubling to hear the ‘Yes’ side say those sorts of things,” said Richard Truscott of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.
“That is borderline fear-mongering. It’s not lending itself to a respected, thoughtful debate about these issues.”
The mail-in ballot, which is being sent out next week, will ask Metro Vancouver residents whether they’ll accept the tax increase to fund $7.5 billion in transit and transportation improvements.
Among those improvements is more late night buses, something Chu said could also help improve public safety, particularly in the Granville Entertainment District on weekends.
When bars close at 3 a.m., large hordes of drunk people flood into the street and often end up fighting, Chu said.
“Some of the fights break out because people are fighting for the limited number of taxi cabs that are available.” He said. “We believe late-night transit will provide a means for people to disperse to get home safely.”
The chiefs also warned traffic congestion leads to more accidents.
But not all police officials are pledging their outright support to the 'yes' camp. RCMP Insp. Ed Boettcher said the national force remained neutral on the referendum.
"It's 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," he said.
Referendum ballots are set to reach Metro Vancouver residents on March 16, and people have until May 29 to submit their vote.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s St. John Alexander
