TransLink’s decision will come at steep cost

TransLink’s decision to look into replacing the Pattullo Bridge is the right one.

However, it comes at a steep cost – a toll for South Fraser residents on every Fraser River crossing in Surrey and Langley.

Yet Delta residents will still be able to enjoy toll-free crossings via the Alex Fraser Bridge and George Massey Tunnel.

While those two crossings will stay toll-free, that may prove a problem if too many drivers head there to avoid tolls on the Port Mann, Golden Ears or Pattullo replacement.

Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts was quick to note the contrast.

If a new Pattullo is built, it will be the third toll bridge in this area.

Yet no other bridge or highway in the entire Lower Mainland is tolled.

While there has been talk about tolling of other Lower Mainland bridges or even a general congestion toll, as has been implemented in London, England, there is no plan to implement any other tolls at this time.

Thus a great inequity arises – people who live in Surrey will pay a price for doing so, every time they want to cross the river in their own vehicles.

The price to do so may be pretty steep.

Golden Ears Bridge, which is being built and operated by a private company for TransLink, will charge car drivers just under $4 per trip, if they have a transponder.

There will be no toll booths – people will be billed, and those who don’t pay won’t be able to renew their car insurance.

So a person who commutes to work across one of those bridges would pay an extra $160 or more per month – a pretty stiff price, when added to ever-climbing gas prices and insurance rates.

It’s a case of history repeating itself.

The Pattullo, when it was first built, was a toll bridge and was derisively known as the “Pay-Toll-O.”

There is no question that the Pattullo can’t really be modernized to fit in with current traffic conditions.

The bridge is narrow, and can’t be easily widened. The sharp curve at the south end of the bridge has led to far too many serious crashes over the years – so many that the bridge is now restricted to two lanes at night, when many of the worst crashes took place.

The bridge has served this region very well.

Opened in 1937, it has been the main link between Surrey and New Westminster for all those years and was the first major ingredient in changing Surrey from a rural farm community to a modern city.

Its construction in the midst of the Great Depression was also a significant public works project undertaken by the bridge’s namesake, Premier Duff Pattullo.

The construction project led to significantly increased employment at a time when jobs were very hard to come by.

When the new bridge is built, it should incorporate a new rail bridge as well.

The original rail bridge beneath the Pattullo, now 104 years old, is a significant bottleneck to Lower Mainland rail operations, which are taking on increasing importance as traffic to and from the port continues to grow.

If transportation is going to become “greener,” it requires improved rail infrastructure.

Freight hauled by rail consumes far less fuel than freight hauled by truck. But because railways have traditionally paid for their own infrastructure, there has been no move to replace the rail bridge – inefficient as it is.

It is important that TransLink, and particularly the province, consider the replacement of the Pattullo in the context of all other bridges and highways in the Lower Mainland, and come up with a better way to ensure that all drivers in all parts of the region help to pay for the improvements that are needed. Fairness in this regard will ensure that there is not widespread bitterness in Surrey over paying tolls.

Frank Bucholtz writes Fridays for the Peace Arch News. He is the editor of the Langley Times.