As noted in my September 15 post, Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority is looking for ways to scare up an additional $70 million per year for service expansion.
In the current proposal, a 2 cent lift in the regional fuel tax is supposed to cover $40 million of this. But in a presentation in Maple Ridge, TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis cautioned that the motor fuel tax may not be the reliable cash cow it used to be; and in the foreseeable future, fuel tax revenues may drop. Continue reading
TransLink, aka the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority, moves about 600,000 transit passengers on the average day in Metro Vancouver. Forgiving the occasional breakdown, the corporation seems to have most of its technical issues sorted out.
But on the softer side – politics and financing – the outlook is uncertain. TransLink’s operates as a unified agency in a fractured region. Its funding requests are subject to approval by a council of 21 municipal mayors – and yes, this includes Anmore, Belcarra, Bowen Island and Lions Bay – plus a first nations chief. If the mayors happen to agree on something, their decision is subject to further approval by the provincial government. Continue reading
Fraseropolis 