Dear Editor,
[Re: Transit under threat, 91原创 Advance Times, July 31]
With an enormous transit funding short fall looming, now, is the time to address the proverbial bus in the room. 
The greatest transit problems in Metro Vancouver are south of the Fraser River. Fastest growing, this enormous part of Metro Vancouver has been short-changed on transit for many, many decades. If there are to be any reductions they should happen in municipal Vancouver 鈥� the City of Vancouver.
Unlike the rest of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver has its own exclusive arrangement with the provincial government under what is called the "Vancouver Charter鈥�. Every other town and city in British Columbia is governed under the Community Charter.
Vancouver exceptionalism has no bounds, and its hegemony when it comes to transit, is just one example. Right now TransLink is spending multiple billions on a wholly underground extension of the Millennium Line tunnelling its way under Broadway to Arbutus Street ostensibly on its way to UBC. 
TransLink will no doubt tout the, yet to dig up anything, above ground line to 91原创 City from King George Station.
One way to rustle up the needed $600 million is to pause construction of Vancouver鈥檚 vanity project and maintain the already planned modest improvements to transit for South of the Fraser. The 91原创 Sky Train is a very modest extension to an above-ground portion of Sky Train.
An above-ground line on Vancouver鈥檚 posh west side is beyond the pale. It just had to be out of sight. After all the BMWs and the Rollers need the room.
It is time to reign in the City of Vancouver鈥檚 exceptionalism and fix decade after decade of transit neglect South of the Fraser. Over priced Vancouver has more than enough transit right now.
Craig Strickland, Brookswood