Toll troubles prompt mayors to re-examine mobility pricing
Metro Vancouver mayors are urging the B.C. government to seriously discuss mobility pricing, as losses mount at the Port Mann Bridge and work begins on a new George Massey crossing.
Several mayors say the financial problems at the Port Mann — more drivers than expected are detouring to free bridges to avoid paying the toll — show the need for immediate discussions on a region-wide, mobility pricing strategy.
Such a strategy could include ideas like tolling all bridges, implementing a fee-per-distance-travelled system or even time of use pricing with discounts for travel on off-peak hours. As well, mobility pricing has been billed as a fairer way of spreading transit costs so they aren’t borne primarily by commuters in the Fraser Valley, who are forced to pay bridge tolls to get around the region.
“We’re really pushing hard on getting in play the joint, mobility pricing commission that could look at what are the best ways of rolling this out with parity in the region, very quickly,” said Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner, vice-chair of the Mayor’s Council, which has a subcommittee working on the scope of an independent commission into mobility pricing.
The poor performance of the Port Mann, and continued losses at TransLink’s tolled Golden Ears Bridge, has raised questions about the viability of the planned third tolled crossing — the $3.5-billion bridge replacement for the George Massey Tunnel, which could begin construction later this year.
If mayors follow through with plans to replace the Pattullo Bridge with a fourth tolled crossing, it would leave the Alex Fraser as the only free bridge across the Fraser.
“Having only one bridge, I can tell you what would happen to the Alex Fraser, it’d be overwhelmed and we’d be faced with congestion that is unlivable,” Hepner said.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone has said he’ll conduct a review on the province’s tolling policy at some point.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, chairman of Metro, said provincial participation is key to developing a workable path forward on mobility pricing.
“Why would we go down a year or two of discussion and engagement and then present a solution only for the provincial government to say no to it?” he said, referencing past provincial rejection of ideas like a vehicle levy, and the defeat of the Metro transit referendum. “That’s why the mayors are saying this is the perfect time to have the mobility pricing conversation, because it wouldn’t make any sense to toll four of the five crossings.”
TransLink Minister Peter Fassbender said Wednesday the mayors can approach him with mobility pricing proposals “when they have something substantive.”
“I’m not going to presuppose decisions that will come,” he said. “I’ve said once you’ve done your work and feel you have something you can all agree on — because I can tell you having sat around the table there’s probably 22 different definitions of what mobility pricing may be — so I’ve encouraged them to do the work and once you’ve done the work, government will be willing to hear what your recommendations may be.”
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said he’s not hopeful the govern- ment will engage with mayors on mobility pricing.
“The difficulty is it’s not very politically attractive for the government. So they are unlikely to be jumping on board very quickly. They will be ragging the puck.”