Surrey mayor proposes cheaper tolls on more bridges

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Tolling all Metro Vancouver bridges and tunnels is unlikely to happen — at least not on Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom‘s watch.

Metro mayors have floated the idea of charging a lower toll on all crossings as a way to come up with $30 million a year for road maintenance and upgrades, new projects, and the existing transit system, but Lekstrom says there’s no plan to change the current tolling strategy.

“I know that that has been floated,” he says. “I know that major cities around the world have looked at different options there. Again, I’m going to leave that up to the mayors’ council. It is not something that the provincial government is pursuing.”

And he says it likely won’t, even if mayors come to a consensus and go through public consultation.

“If the mayors’ council were to put that forward again, I don’t know whether at this point the government would say that, ‘Look, we’re going to be prepared to change the tolling policy.’  I think what I can say today is that we’re not.”

The mayors still don’t know how they will come up with the revenue needed to bolster the system, but if they can’t come up with a plan soon it’s expected your property taxes will go up.

Tolls can only be charged on new crossings like the Golden Ears Bridge and the new Port Mann Bridge, where later this year it will cost you $3 a trip.

There could end up being tolls on a new Pattullo Bridge, too.

The current policy requires an untolled alternative for every tolled crossing.

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