Road pricing still being considered for Metro Vancouver: reports
Posted March 13, 2015 7:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Whether you check ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in the vote on the Congestion Improvement sales tax, we are hearing the Mayors’ Council is still moving ahead with a comprehensive plan to charge drivers based upon the number of kilometres they drive.
Road pricing may have been pushed into the background because of the plebiscite, but the proposed half per cent sales tax is just part of the funding strategy for the Mayors’ Council’s $7.5-billion plan.
Another $250 million a year was originally slated to come from road pricing.
Port Coquitlam Greg Moore speaks for the council and tells the 24hrs newspaper that charging drivers based on distance driven is no longer needed to fund transit expansion, but that they are still committed to bringing it in eventually, calling it “the most fair and effective way to reduce congestion.”
Moore says the money collected would be used eliminate individual bridge tolls and it could also be used to scale back the 17 cents per litre TransLink collects in gas tax in Metro Vancouver.
Tune in this Monday at 7 p.m. for a live special event: an hour-long discussion with both the “yes” and “no” sides of the tax debate, to help you decide how to vote. Click here for details, including how you can participate and ask questions.
