My Business in Vancouver column – Part 1:
TransLink has no more money. Gas-tax revenue is down, there’s no new source of funding from the province, no more property tax from the municipalities and not even approval for an anticipated fare increase.
Indeed, one wonders whether Martin Crilly, the TransLink Commissioner, realized he was giving cover to all the authority’s critics when he turned down the fare increase and sealed TransLink’s fate: it was now “officially” inefficient and would have to find any new money internally.
Wham!
That took any expansion plans for already-promised transit off the table.
So why is TransLink moving forward on planning for a new Pattullo Bridge that will be one of the widest structures in Western Canada?
Before the Golden Ears Bridge opened, there were nine lanes across the river. When the new Port Mann Bridge opens, there will be 19 lanes. With a new six-lane Pattullo, that would be 25 lanes – all for cars and trucks.
As experience with Golden Ears has shown, tolls might even reduce demand below conservative projections – this at a time when vehicle use by the younger generation is dropping, energy prices are volatile and every regional and local plan has sustainability as a priority.
The message couldn’t be clearer: transit is not to be taken seriously, especially south of the Fraser. Suburban growth will be mainly car-dependent sprawl. Regardless of our visions and plans – and even the promises (like express buses on a widened Highway 1) – the Fraser Valley will be built out like a typical American urban region: freeways, arterials and parking lots.
The Lower Mainland will consist of two overlapping and conflicting urban environments: car dependence where growth is greatest, and then places like Vancouver and New Westminster, where the freeways stop.
Part 2 tomorrow: Questions for TransLink on the Pattullo Bridge, and for Surrey.
What I find most frustrating is the arbitrary tolling of bridges in Metro Vancouver. Arbitrary isn’t really the right word though, because the tolls only affect those living south of the Fraser.
Now I’m all for tolling roads as an effective way to discourage auto use, but why not toll all bridges in Metro Van. That way you could reduce the cost across the board and reduce the burden felt by those south of the Fraser. Tolls only make sense when you provide an alternative. It makes sense to toll the Port Mann in conjunction with rapid transit, as it provides an alternative. If you don;t want to pay the toll, take the bus. But by tolling the bridge without providing a viable alternative, you are forcing people to pay the toll. And it will hit those who commute from south of the Fraser into Vancouver the hardest. These are the people that if they could afford to would likely live in Vancouver. But because they already don’t make enough to live in Vancouver, they have to move further out, and now will suffer from even higher burden of transportation costs because of the toll.
What we need is a moratorium on new road construction. Take the billions that Translink has no problem spending on unnecessary bridges and pour it into transit south of the Fraser. That is the only fair and equitable thing to do.
Why not toll all bridges in Metro Van?
Because the Province of BC has an apparent policy requiring ‘a free alternative’. That’s alternative bridge/tunnel, not alternative mode.
Why does such a ‘policy’ exist? Is it sensible? Equitable? Cost effective? Fiscally or environmentally sound? Is it based on detailed analysis? If only…
Maybe they hate New West?
I feel for them when the tolls go in. So many people will go to Putello and Queensburough to avoid the toll…
Before the Golden Ears there was 19 lanes
4 – George Massey
6 – Alex Fraser
4 – Patullo
5 – Port Mann
Recently and near future
+ Golden Ears – 6
+ Port Mann – 5
= 30 Lanes
Potentially
+ Patullo – 2
= 32 Lanes
What I find frustrating is why isn’t there tolling all along the Highway 1? There is so much improvement besides just the bridge. Why not toll those that are going from Coquitlam to Vancouver, or New West to North Van etc?
This is so depressing. What can we do to turn this around?
@Beth:
There’s a lot we could do:
– Build separated bicycle lanes that are safe around surrey and new west,
– Remove the Patullio without building it again,
– Build LOTS of transit “If you build it they will come” I we had started building the LRT Evergreen Line, it would be done by now. It does matter what type of Rapid we are building, but at the end of the day, “How much” is more important than “what type” of rapid transit. Remember: rapid is quick and all day.
– Encourage people to live in places that don’t require Commutes over Congested bridges.
– Encourage the Government to spend money wisely ie. on transit rather than roads
-Form a “PriceTags Committee for Sustainable Cities” Group that rallies for better cities.
— But the best idea: Make the government make us VOTE (yes, a referendum) on whether we want to increase property taxes by 3% or/and Increase the Sales tax to 7.5% to pay for transit. Los Angeles public passed it with an amazing 67%, the transit culture here would definitely pass it with >80% support.
For example, a sample question on a ballot would be “Would you support increasing the Provincial Sales Tax from 7% to 7.5% to pay for Transit Improvements like the Broadway Skytrain Line and the Newton Skytrain Extension?”
This measure (lets call it Measure R), will receive overwhelming support (surveys done already show most people support more transit) and this should be what’s done.
Peter, you are correct in that there is no money for that rapid transit!! And, when you drive by all the current upgrades on the highways it’s pretty clear that some form of rapid transit should have been designed along with all the car lanes! I agree with the comment above. There are a ton of road improvements why just toll the new bridges? And, even then, the process has not been followed because all ‘new’ has not been tolled.
In the USA lots of highways have tolls but what do we do? We take a toll OFF the Coquihalla and don’t put a toll where it should be! Alternatives must be provided before people are penalized because of where they live (and that means alternative modes of transit not alternate bridge routes)!
As for increasing taxes to pay for more transit? No doubt in my mind with all the new roads that a priority needs to be south of the Port Mann!!!
Oversize road, highway and bridge projects would not be necessary if it were more profitable for build upward rather than outward through elimination of height and minimum setback restrictions, require ground floors of infill buildings be used for retail, impose maximum automobile parking of 0 for infill buildings, decrease development charges to 0 for infill, increase development charges for low-density land use, and make property taxes based on the value of the land rather than primarily the building.