BRIDGE PLEDGE: NDP vows to eliminate tolls on Port Mann, Golden Ears
$500/year cap to Port Mann, Golden Ears outdone by vow to get rid of tolls
The B.C. Liberal Party and the NDP offered duelling proposals on Metro Vancouver bridge tolls on Sunday — a clear bid to court Fraser Valley voters a month to go before the provincial election.
On the same day the Liberals announced they would cap tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridges at $500 a year starting Jan. 1, 2018 — a move that could cut a motorist’s driving costs by up to $1,000 a year — NDP leader John Horgan stole the Liberals’ thunder by promising to get rid of tolls for both bridges altogether if elected.
“We’re going to give Lower Mainland commuters a break,” Horgan told a boisterous crowd at the NDP’s kickoff rally in Surrey.
“Eliminating the tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears crossings is one way that we will put money back in commuters’ pockets and get people moving again.”
Horgan said the Liberals failed in providing adequate funding for transit, forcing commuters into cars then levying costly tolls to use the bridges. His proposal will ease cost of living for people and families living in the region, he said.
The NDP did not provide the costs or timeline for its proposal — something Premier Christy Clark seized on during a scrum following the unveiling of two new Seaspan LNG-powered hybrid ferries in Delta.
“The NDP plan is not a plan,” Clark told reporters. “It’s an example of a leader and a party that’s scrambling today to come up with an idea.”
She questioned how the NDP plans to come up with the money to cover the lost toll revenue for both bridges: “I don’t know how they are going to pay for it. I can only assume it’ll come out of people’s pockets in terms of higher taxes.”
Both bridges are already bleeding money even after taking in $200 million in toll revenue ($150 million for the Port Mann and $50 million for the Golden Ears, based on their most recent fiscal plans).
The Port Mann has lost $407 million since it opened in 2012, and is projected to lose another $90 million this year and stay in the red until 2025, when it’s expected to break even. The Golden Ears has lost $280 million since it opened in 2009.
Clark said the Liberals’ proposal to cap tolls won’t affect the bridges’ financials as the government would cover the cost of lost toll revenue above the cap, estimated at about $30 million annually. The funds will be redirected to TI Corp, which runs the Port Mann, and to TransLink, which operates the Golden Ears.
“We can afford to do it because the economy is growing,” said Clark.
The proposal will also apply to the future George Massey replacement bridge and any new Pattullo Bridge replacement.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, called the Liberals’ plan “reasonable.” Bateman was more skeptical of the NDP proposal because, while appealing in theory, it was short on details, with no costing, no timeline and no indication on whether no-tolls would also apply to any other future bridges.
“A promise with a plan is just wishful thinking.” said Bateman, pointing out the NDP had already made bold but potentially expensive campaign promises, such as $10-a-day child care.
The NDP said further details will be rolled out in the coming days.
The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation issued a statement late Sunday saying neither party has committed to “workable solutions” that would reduce congestion in the region over the long-term.