Dear Editor,

I am not sure where Dr. Findlay gets his facts [Parking needed for business, Aug. 9 Letters, Langley Advance], but he made several mistakes.

BC Transit has nothing at all to do with any of this, and has not had anything to do with transit in Langley or Vancouver for 15-plus years. The company is TransLink.

I am not sure where he comes up with 10 spots being eliminated, because I happened to be near 198th Street and counted the spots from Willowbrook Produce, and there were 11 vehicles parked (all spots being used) to the single spot just the south side of his office. If 10 spots were eliminated then almost the whole side of 198th would have been eliminated.

The only elimination was roughly 3.5 spots for the addition of the 531 bus to White Rock, because it is a 40-foot bus. The Community Bus C-70 has been in operation for several years prior to this, and those spots have been eliminated for years.

The 531 service has been in the works for 16 years. It has been long overdue and is enjoying great ridership since it started a few months back

The end of the line terminus (compared to a bus loop) normally means there are not many passengers, if any at all, that would get on or get off the bus there. The destination is Willowbrook Mall, and those people would get off prior to the terminus on 198th Street. They would then board at the nearest spot on the return trip home.

Placing bus loops in malls is problematic because they are on private property and agreements have to be entered into.

The drivers head to the mall or surrounding places for several reasons. The use of a bathroom is usually number one, and they try and tie that in with getting a coffee.

There are no built-in lunch/coffee breaks in the schedule. Drivers have to use what little time at the end of the line to do this. If they remain on the bus to eat ,most display Not in Service so they are not bothered while they try and have a sandwich.

Almost all jobs provide a lunch/coffee break and convenient place to go to the bathroom; this is not always the case as a driver.

Dr. Findlay further says that "zoning only allowed two parking spots on site for each of our business spaces. Those on-site parking spaces are for both employees and customers."

Maybe he should consider this a luxury. There are many places that don't provide parking for their employees, but only for their customers. Why do you think there is such a push on in South of the Fraser for better Transit?

I know of no city or municipality that "guarantees" street parking for business or home owners.

Dr Findaly really needs to gets his facts right before he writes a letter. His business isn't the only tax base here.

Phil Barnes, Langley