METRO VANCOUVER – TransLink is offering motorists on the Golden Ears Bridge a six-week discount on tolls during off-peak hours in an effort to boost lower-than-projected ridership on the new bridge over the Fraser River.
The 30-per-cent discount begins April 15 and will extend through weekday evenings after 7 p.m. and all weekends, including the Easter and May long weekends.
TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said Monday the variable-toll pilot project is aimed at attracting motorists who prefer to use the toll-free Port Mann Bridge.
“The Golden Ears Bridge is a product and we’re having a sale. We’re trying to make the bridge more attractive, particularly for discretionary trips,” said Hardie.
“There are trips that would be far more efficient using the Golden Ears Bridge. But people are spending the extra time and extra gas money to make a longer trip to avoid the toll.”
Delta Mayor Lois Jackson called the discount scheme “troubling,” saying she and other motorists are staying away from the Golden Ears Bridge because of the tolls.
But two other regional mayors praised the variable tolling idea, arguing that toll-averse motorists need to be shown the Golden Ears Bridge can save them time and gas money.
The new rates mean a single car with an automatic toll transponder will pay $1.95 during off-peak hours instead of $2.80.
TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis, in a media statement, said: “We know that some people have been prepared to spend the time and fuel on a longer trip in order to save the cost of the toll on the Golden Ears Bridge.
“We will be watching to see if these toll discounts achieve a tipping point at which the convenience and time savings are seen to be worth the cost.”
Traffic on the Golden Ears Bridge has levelled off, with about 23,000 vehicles crossing it on average each day. The traffic projected for the bridge at this stage was at least 30,000 vehicles, said Hardie.
TransLink has estimated there will be a $33-million shortfall in 2011 between toll revenues and what TransLink is obligated to pay the bridge’s builder because of the low traffic volume. The bridge is supposed to pay itself off in 30 years.
Hardie said TransLink can handle the gap without raising fares, toll rates or taxes.
“But we need to take some steps to market the bridge and offer a sale on some of the off-peak crossings.”
Traffic on the Golden Ears Bridge is also below projections because of the economic downturn, which has reduced truck traffic, he added.
Volume on the Golden Ears Bridge is expected to rise once tolls come to the new 10-lane, $3.3-billion Port Mann Bridge, scheduled to open in 2013.
TransLink’s Hardie said the pilot project should provide the transit agency with valuable information about variable tolling – a strategy that could be applied again to the Golden Ears Bridge or to the refurbished Pattullo Bridge and the new Port Mann Bridge.
Delta’s Mayor Jackson said a sale is “what you do when you sell tomatoes but we’re not talking about tomatoes here.”
She said the Golden Ears Bridge needs to become “cheaper, more efficient,” adding she doesn’t drive her pickup truck over it because it’s cheaper to use the Port Mann.
Jackson said tolling decisions should fall under the umbrella of both TransLink and Metro Vancouver.
“We have to find a better way. I think the people are getting tapped out here.”
Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin believes the 30-per-cent discount will encourage drivers to use the Golden Ears Bridge.
“I think that once they get used to it and they see how convenient it is and that it saves them time, they will use it.”
Daykin said he’s baffled by motorists who’ve told him they will drive nearly an hour out of their way to use the Port Mann Bridge into Langley instead of the Golden Ears Bridge.
“There are some folks who are adverse to paying a toll. But nothing is for free. That was an $800-million project and it opened up both sides of the river. Maple Ridge benefits and so does Langley. People who use it say “˜You know, I’ve got two hours of my life back.’”
Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender agreed with Daykin, saying the toll sale is a good idea. “Let’s give it a try.”
Fassbender said traffic volumes on the Golden Ears Bridge are below expectations, but not a disaster.
“I’m not totally surprised. But I think once the Port Mann [toll] kicks in – that will have an impact as well. Variable tolling is a good thing. It’s used in other parts of the world.”
Fassbender believes drivers have been deterred by the idea of a toll rather than by any specific amount.
“There is a false economy in some people’s minds if they think, “˜I’ll drive further and sit in congestion because then I don’t have to pay a toll’ when in fact they probably consume more in gas.”
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