Jeff Nagel does “A reality check on the Metro Vancouver campaign trail” for The Leader papers, and discovers that I, Antony Perl and Jordan Batemen share a similar perspective – at least with respect to political proposals and expectations:
“I would like hover cars too,” says Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “There’s lots of shiny baubles being thrown around and promised with nobody offering any kind of plan to pay for them.”
He and other observers say the sometimes wacky ideas often make for better politics than a realistic action plan.
“Congestion is so personal and so individual, it’s kind of irresistible for candidates to make these proposals,” SFU City Program director Gordon Price said.
Many of the transportation campaign promises — particularly big projects — would require the support of TransLink or the province and possibly both.
Neither Lapointe’s counterflow lanes — which Price calls an “absurd” idea — nor McCallum’s HOV lanes could be implemented without approval of TransLink, which controls the Major Road Network and could also veto a truck ban on the Pattullo Bridge — another idea from New Westminster. …
Observers like Price say it’s not out of the question for Surrey to go its own way — he says Surrey’s light rail system clearly should get priority ahead of Vancouver’s Broadway SkyTrain extension — but it’s unlikely to get senior government funding without being part of a broader regional transit solution.
“There’s nothing to stop Surrey from seceding from TransLink and funding its own rail system but there’s no money to pay for that,” says SFU political science professor Anthony Perl. …
Re-elected and newly elected Metro mayors will once again meet in December in hopes of hammering out an agreement with Transportation Minister Todd Stone. That’s when Price and Bateman expect the political fireworks to resume over the referendum, which they say has not been a major issue during local campaigns.
“Nobody really wants to talk about it much,” Bateman said, adding he’s surprised. “It’s not a winning issue for mayors to talk about regional tax increases. They want to get in for four more years first.”
To Price, the fact that “this dog did not bark” is cause for optimism that incoming councils will stay united behind the transit expansion plan and that public support is growing.
What’s more, Jeff discovers that Kevin Falcon is joining the chorus: “Falcon concerned about referendum delay for transit“.
Former B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon made a strong appeal for rapid transit expansion at a business luncheon Wednesday in Surrey and hinted at discomfort with Premier Christy Clark’s decision to submit new TransLink taxes to a referendum.
The former deputy premier, who is now executive vice-president of real estate firm Anthem Capital, repeatedly underscored the importance of new transit lines, crediting them for the “phenomenal” growth of private sector investment along the SkyTrain and Canada Line systems.
“My preferred approach has always been to just build things,” Falcon told the joint meeting of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association and Surrey Board of Trade.
Falcon said he would not disclose all of his thoughts about the transit funding referendum because he did not wish to create controversy.
“I don’t like the fact that so much time has to pass under a referendum scenario when we could actually be moving projects forward and getting them done,” Falcon said.
