Now what?
After making it clear June 27 that it doesn't want a referendum on transit funding in Metro Vancouver, the mayors' council on regional transportation is once again caught in a political kind of congestion with the provincial government.
But North Vancouver District Mayor Richard Walton, who doubles as chairperson of the council, said he and his fellow mayors have not simply panned the referendum without first recommending funding mechanisms to pay for desperately needed transit upgrades in the region.
The government, however, previously nixed the council's recommendations to restart the vehicle registration fee, introduce a sales tax or to use revenue from the province's carbon tax fund, Walton said.
"And gas tax doesn't work anymore, so what's left?" he said, arguing an increase in tax at the gas pump would lead to fewer drivers and, therefore, less revenue for transit.
Premier Christy Clark announced in her recent re-election campaign that a referendum was a democratic way to give Metro Vancouver residents a say on how much money they want to spend on transit.
The consensus among mayors, including Mayor Gregor Robertson, was that a referendum would fail and jeopardize transit projects, said Walton, noting the government did not hold a referendum to spend billions on building a new Port Mann Bridge, widen the TransCanada Highway and construct a new highway in Surrey, often referred to as the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
Walton said the government must take the same approach to upgrading the region's transit system that then-transportation minister Kevin Falcon took to building the Port Mann Bridge project. "He came out, said this is what we're doing, we're going to go ahead and do it, I'm the minister and it's going to be done," Walton recalled.
With Vancouver calling for a $2.8 billion subway from Commercial Drive to the University of B.C. and Surrey wanting a $1.8 billion light rail system, Walton said the demand for transit service is growing more rapidly than TransLink is funded to accommodate.
Referendums, he said, divide regions and historically get marginal support in cities while often vehemently rejected in transit-deficient suburbs, as occurred recently in Sweden.
"[Referendums] don't have a hope in hell of passing anywhere without having all levels of government working closely together, including the unions and the goods movement sector," Walton said, noting the current arrangement is to have the mayors' council do the "heavy lifting" while the government distances itself from the political fallout of recommendations such as restarting the unpopular vehicle registration fee.
Road pricing, Walton said, is a topic and funding mechanism for transit and road upgrades that is getting a lot of attention worldwide, including Oregon, which is set to introduce a state-wide road pricing scheme.
While some cities such as London have adopted a toll ring for motorists as they drive into the city centre, Walton said charging motorists for the distance they travel should be considered for Metro Vancouver.
Road pricing takes various forms, including tolls, charging motorists for using specific lanes and using GPS technology to track distance travelled on a road.
Walton has no doubt road pricing would be a "tough sell" in Metro Vancouver but he said other cities with such systems in place have shown decreases in traffic congestion and generated money to fund transit and roads.
"It's going to take a huge amount of political courage in order to build the transit system that Metro Vancouver needs," he added.
In a statement to the Courier, Transportation Minister Todd Stone echoed the premier's earlier comments, saying it was important Lower Mainland taxpayers have a say about transit upgrades.
"I will work with the mayors' council on the referendum question," Stone said. "TransLink and its member communities are working hard to develop proposed funding options. The region is growing and we need to make improvements to the transportation system. I am looking forward to working with the mayors' council and the TransLink Board to make them happen."
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