The vicious beating endured at the Langley City bus loop, by a man on his way home from work, has shocked many people in the community.
It has led to a massive outpouring of money and donations to Chris Lafrenier and his wife Lauren Blair, showing once again that people in Langley are among the most generous in the Lower Mainland. The Times has seen this on so many occasions in the past it is almost like old hat, but we never grow tired of reporting on this generosity.
What the incident also needs to spark is an immediate and thorough improvement of security at the existing Langley City bus loop, and a fast-tracking of plans to move the bus loop to a better location on 203 Street.
The relocation of the bus loop has been put off numerous times, likely because of TransLink’s constant cash woes. Delays need to stop.
At the new bus loop, and at the current one, security cameras must be mounted. The current bus loop is located in an out-of-the-way location, given that the adjacent mall is almost completely deserted. Passengers waiting for buses are forced to be there for long periods of time, given the infrequency of bus service to Langley. They are sitting ducks for criminals.
There must also be a much more visible security presence there. If TransLink Police can’t be bothered to show up there (their appearances are about as plentiful as a whooping crane showing up in a Langley field), then there needs to be private security there, particularly in the evening hours. If grocery stores can afford to have security officers on duty in the evenings, so can TransLink.
ignoring the frequent criminal incidents at the bus loop, or hiding behind privacy concerns, just doesn’t cut it. Security of bus passengers and drivers must be the top priority.
Langley City also has a role to play. The city has pushed, on occasion, to improve police presence at the bus loop. It needs to do so much more forcefully, and its efforts must not stop after making a few phone calls or holding a number of meetings.
This is a matter of urgent public safety. It demands immediate attention. Those who have so generously donated to help Chris Lafrenier back on to his feet, and everyone who lives or works in Langley City, needs to apply pressure to the City, TransLink and police.
There must be no more victims of criminals at the Langley City bus loop.
