Another sign (literally underfoot) of improved responsiveness and service from TransLink.
With approved plans and assured funding, TransLink has been fulfilling some of the promises made as far back as the ill-fated referendum. And that may be contributing to a more receptive response to the decisions made, as recently as last Thursday, to fill the funding gap required for Phase 2 of the $7.3 billion Ten-Year Plan.
It would have been unthinkable a year or so ago that regional politicians, months before an election, would approve the prospect of a gas-tax increase. And yet, most did, and (so far) the coverage has been balanced and blowback moderate.
Even the usual negative voices (hey there, Jordan Bateman) don’t seem to be resonating the way they did so effectively when they toasted the referendum.
And perhaps that’s the reason: the referendum was such a pointless, dispiriting, wasteful exercise, almost no one wants to repeat that screw-up or delay the process any further.
Come to think of it, since the gas tax is meant to raise on the order of $30 million annually, it would be helpful to know just how much the referendum and, more significantly, the additional increase in costs to the large capital projects as a result of the delay actually add up to.
Bateman argues that savings could come from increased efficiencies. Is he prepared to acknowledge that the referendum itself was likely the biggest inefficiency this region has seen in a generation and the additional costs the largest waste?
And while we’re at it, isn’t it about time the BC Liberals apologized for imposing the referendum on us, and then having no Plan B when it failed? How about it, Andrew Wilkinson? Or are you distracted by other issues you’d rather not take responsibility for?
Seriously, Gordon, it was the same mayors that wrote the referendum formula and the question. It is they that should cough up an apology.
Author
Who required the referendum and who had effective final say on the funding options and the wording? Clue: it wasn’t the mayors.
A recent study of transit data from 2015, the year of the referendum, identified TransLink as the most efficient transit organization in Canada. Sadly, all of that data was available then, but many chose to ignore it to pursue either a personal or political agenda. But that is history, hopefully one that will never be repeated, and it is good to see the region move forward on much needed transportation infrastructure investments. It is also great to see TransLink rebounding and delivering excellent service making it once again, the transit organization other agencies around the world aspire to be.
Bob, will we ever know who brought forward the motion to fire Ian Jarvis, at the start of the referendum campaign?
Seems that started a fast downhill run.
Was most efficient calculated by operating cost or by capital cost ? Higher capital costs lead to reduced operating costs except when a subway is built at 3 times the skytrain cost
I agree with the premise that all the plebiscite accomplished was to delay providing adequate infrastructure to meet the inevitable growing demand for transit in Metro Vancouver, and to provide a convenient platform everyone and his dog to rage about everything.
I wonder if Jordan Bateman has any comment about the fact transit ridership hit a new record last year of 407 million boardings (247 million people) despite his effort to kill new funding, and has set new records again for ridership in the first months of this year. TransLink attributes that in part to a 30-year build-out of transit assets and associated transit-oriented development.
Clearly, the ground shifted with changes to both senior governments which rendered the plebiscite completely irrelevant.
Meanwhile there is Global TV placing every upward twitch in gas prices and every road closure at the top of the morning news, outcompeting even Trump. I swear the reporters and anchors are trained by Global management to frown, roll their eyes, shake their heads and assume an annoying sarcastic tone when reporting on the price at the pump and road works.