They emerged from a closed-door meeting with TransLink directors Wednesday vowing to press the provincial government for more money to finance the region's transit expansion plans.What was interesting to read was the mayors' willingness to look at the vehicle levy. Of course even with TransLink tapping out their current funding sources, it will still fall short of the $450 million that TransLink is seeking. I like what the Mayor Peter Fassbender said.
"The public wants improved transit service," Fassbender said. "They want us to reach our environmental goals. They want to build for the future. They want communities that are sustainable.He is right. Metro Vancouver holds 48% of the total population of BC on 0.3% of the total area of the province. Of course the Province is still saying that there will be no new funding for TransLink from them. I (and many others) will not be a happy camper if transit services are cut next year. It would seem to me that the only bargaining chip that the mayors and TransLink have is the construction of the Evergreen Line.
"We represent a significant population," he said. "For the government to say we're not going to sit down and find a way to get there would be bordering on stupidity."
On a side note, even after TransLink was restructured to a “professional board”, they still don’t have the funding they need. I remember the former Minister of Transportation saying that the new TransLink will be able to get more things done. One thing the new TransLink has done is bang the lack-of-funding drum even louder. I wonder if TransLink might be "restructured" again. I hope not. I hope that this funding situation gets resolved, so people like me don’t get left out in the after math.
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