MOBILITY PRICING CREEPS CLOSER
Independent commission will look into road taxes and other options to reduce congestion and pay for transportation improvements in Metro Vancouver
Metro Vancouver moves one step closer to mobility pricing following the creation of an independent commission tasked to look at how to implement such a system in the region.
The mobility pricing independent commission, designed to be armslength from the government, will be made up of 12 lay people who are well-respected in the region and represent diversity in terms of gender, age and geographic location, said Richard Walton, mayor of the District of North Vancouver and co-chair of a steering committee that oversaw the prep work to appoint the commission.
“For any approach like this to work, it has to be perceived as being fair, based on clear principles and not discriminate unreasonably against any particular region or group of riders,” said Walton.
The identities of the commissioners, as well as the commission’s terms of reference, are expected to be revealed Tuesday at a media event in downtown Vancouver by the Mayors Council and TransLink.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who is currently chairing the council, and TransLink board member Janet Austin will be in attendance.
The commission will study and undertake research on mobility pricing — an approach that charges drivers for their use of the road network — launch public education and engagement, and provide policy recommendations.
It’s a controversial issue that’s been long debated in the region with its share of supporters and detractors.
Mobility pricing, which could include road-pricing, has been pushed by the region’s mayors, despite the lack of commitment and support from the provincial government.
It’s been proposed as a solution to worsening congestion in the region and a more equitable alternative to the current ad hoc approach of only tolling new infrastructure such as the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges, or future projects such as the proposed George Massey Bridge.
It’s also seen as a way of funding future transportation projects laid out in TransLink’s 10-year plan, which includes the Broadway subway in Vancouver and light rail in Surrey, particularly as the current key source of revenue, the fuel sales tax, could turn shaky down the road due to the forecasted growth in the use of hybrid and electric vehicles.
Mobility pricing could include bridge tolls or road-usage fees, said Walton; it could involve charging higher fees during rush hour and less or no fees during non-peak times, or levy fees per distance travelled.
Part of the debate would also include whether only new projects are tolled or whether the cost of infrastructure projects should be spread across the region.
Walton said bridges and tunnels may be easy places to stick a camera or transponders and levy tolls because that’s where traffic narrows, but questions whether that is an equitable approach. This will be one of the key questions the commission will grapple with, he said: “The question is how will new infrastructure be paid for, and should new infrastructure be differentiated from old infrastructure?
“I think that’s the million-dollar question that some recommendations that’ll come forward from the work the mobility pricing independent commission (will be) doing.”
The commission is set to start work in June and will make its recommendations by early 2018, according to a February report by the mobility pricing steering committee.
The budget for the commission, which is expected to be supported by a staff secretariat, advisory panels and technical experts, isn’t yet known, but is expected to be announced Tuesday.
Mobility pricing has become more germane following promises by political parties during the election campaign, noted Walton, when the B.C. Liberals said they’ll cap tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, and the NDP promised to scrap the tolls altogether.
Both proposals are contradictory to where the regions’ mayors are heading with mobility pricing.
The Liberal government has been noncommittal on the issue, saying only it’s interested in the work the mayors are undertaking and looks forward to hearing about the findings. It remains committed to a referendum should mayors want to levy new taxes or fees to pay for projects.
The NDP has been vague on its position on mobility pricing, saying it will support and work with mayors to come up with a framework to build transportation and transit infrastructure, and do so in manner that’s “fair” for all British Columbians.
The B.C. Greens have been the only party to support mobility pricing.
The Liberals and Greens have promised to match $2.2 billion in federal funding, while the NDP promised to fund 40 per cent of capital costs for the entire plan.