Mayors in Metro Vancouver have met to discuss the future of Translink and how to pay for the billions of dollars in projects and improvements over the next decade.
It seems everyone agrees something needs to be done about transit in Metro Vancouver, but almost no one agrees how to fix the problems.
“I think when you are spending public dollars, you have a real duty to be accountable and open and transparent in your operations,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The Translink board has never met any of those criteria.”
The Liberals made an election promise for a referendum on new sources of funding for Translink, but what will those funding options be?
“Our government agrees with the mayors,” said Todd Stone, the Transportation Minister. “There are billions of dollars of investments that need to be made in the region, particularly on the transit side, that is going to be all about accommodating projections of a million more people in the region over the next 30 years.”
The Massey Tunnel replacement was announced with almost no consultation with local governments. Critics argue there are most urgent transportation needs, and the province is doing the region a dis-service by not combining transit and transportation infrastructure in the same discussion.
Comments