The final report on mobility pricing in Metro Vancouver was presented to the TransLink Mayors’ Council and board of directors on Thursday but it could be another two to five years before anything is implemented.
READ MORE: Cut Metro Vancouver gas taxes as part of mobility pricing? It’s on the table
In the report, the Mobility Pricing Independent Commission makes two recommendations with the goal of reducing traffic congestion by up to 25 per cent and raise up to $25-million annually, with revenues going into road and transit improvements.
“There is no doubt that changing the way we pay for transportation will be politically difficult, but the opportunity is too great to end the conversation now,” commission vice-chair Joy MacPhail said in a news release.
One option is a regional congestion point charge, which could cost the average household five to eight dollars per day, or between $1,800 and $2,700 per year based on preliminary analysis.
People would be charged when they pass specific locations close to major crossings like bridges or tunnels.
Another suggestion is a multi-zone distance-based charge with two or more zones, with different charge rates around Metro Vancouver. This charge would cost the average paying household three to five dollars per day, according to the report.
The report also said fairness should apply to everyone regardless of how they choose to travel, adding more study is required before a final decision is made.
“We have heard many concerns about fairness in relation to affordability, equity, access to transit options, privacy and the need for accountable and transparent governance,” commission chair Allan Seckel said in the report.
READ MORE: New tolls? Road pricing? Final report on mobility pricing due this week
Seckel said those concerns are addressed through the way a mobility pricing policy would be designed and implemented.
“Our comprehensive investigation has found that a coordinated mobility pricing policy, that includes a decongestion charge, has the potential to address the threat of growing gridlock in a way that produces substantial benefits for quality of life and the region’s economy,” Seckel said in the report.
The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation wasted no time slamming the report. B.C. director Kris Sims said affordability issues have already pushed locals to the limit.
“In some cases housing is more than in Manhattan,” she said.
“People need to commute, so to add an extra fee on top of all of that is just a non-starter for many. They actually just don’t have the money for this.”
Left-leaning think tank the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives also raised concerns.
Senior economist Marc Lee said the report lacks details such as where the money would go.
“There are options available in terms of low income credits and reducing fuel taxes and increasing transit services, the combination of that will drive the outcome,” he said.
“But the conversation shouldn’t just be about the headline, you know, number about costs, it should be about the cost and the benefits of how we spend that money too.”
The report, resulting from an eight-month research and public engagement project which launched in October 2017, is being called a good start by mayors and board members who say more work needs to be done before mobility pricing is considered for Metro Vancouver.
-With files from Janet Brown and Michelle Morton
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