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ShareEDITORIAL: Tolls won’t hurt us
Published: October 07, 2008 2:00 PMUpdated: October 07, 2008 2:36 PM
The provincial government has done the right thing in eliminating tolls on the Coquihalla Highway.
The tolls have been in place for 22 years, and by the government’s calculation, have now brought in the amount of money it cost to build the highway – about $840 million. In making the surprise announcement at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, Premier Gordon Campbell got plenty of political mileage out of what will be a popular decision with many B.C. residents.
Truckers will be particularly happy, given the dramatic increase in fuel costs they have faced in the past year.
Campbell also used the occasion to say that while the twinned Port Mann Bridge will be tolled, tolls will come off in about 35 years. This project is being built as a P3 (public-private partnership), similar to the Golden Ears Bridge project.
The two separate consortiums building the bridge projects will also operate them for a fixed period of time and recoup the money used to build them, along with a profit.
When the Port Mann contract expires, it will revert to the province and become a free bridge, Campbell says.
TransLink, the owner of the Golden Ears Bridge, has not yet made that same commitment. As a regional transportation authority that has serious cash flow issues, it can’t afford to do so.
While many people in the South Fraser region have concerns about the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridge being tolled (the replacement for the Pattullo will also be a toll bridge), this will actually be good for the region.
There are already lots of good-paying jobs south of the Fraser. Tolls will act as another incentive to live closer to work. There are lots of nice homes to live in here, and it is good for families and for the environment to live closer to work.
The tolls will also encourage transit use. If the bus system ever improves here, people will actually be able to take a bus and SkyTrain to downtown Vancouver if they work there or wish to go there for leisure and entertainment activities.
Tolls for a fixed period of time, when used to make major improvements to the transportation system, make a great deal of sense.
And it’s great to celebrate when they come off.
– The Langley Times (Black Press)
