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New span takes toll

With construction set to begin next year on a third tolled crossing for the Lower Mainland, it's time the provincial government paid more than lip service to its promise of a regional tolling review.

With construction set to begin next year on a third tolled crossing for the Lower Mainland, it's time the provincial government paid more than lip service to its promise of a regional tolling review.

The impetus for the 10-lane bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel, as it is for any infrastructure improvement, is to ease congestion, but how well traffic flows on any new span, as well as on neighbouring crossings, very much depends on how much it costs to cross.

Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington has been raising this point for quite some time now to no avail, but those in Victoria can't continue to ignore the issue for much longer.

It was one thing to toll the Golden Ears Bridge because, at the time, it was in isolation, but when the new Port Mann Bridge came on stream, that's when we really started to see traffic patterns change as drivers looked to avoid tolls by using alternate routes. When the bridge to replace the tunnel, and a new Pattullo Bridge should regional mayors get their way, are added to the mix, it will shake things up to an even greater degree.

New crossings and tolls both have huge impacts on traffic patterns so it's darn near impossible to separate one from the other. How many drivers use the bridge across the Fraser River when it opens in 2022 will depend greatly on how much it costs to do so, which, in turn, will impact how many drivers traverse the Alex Fraser Bridge, to say nothing of the Oak Street and Knight Street bridges.

The transportation minister is right in the sense that we've still got a fair bit of time before any new crossing shifts the landscape, but given how intertwined the two issues are, it would seem wise to figure things out sooner than later.

As the region gets more tolled crossings, the idea of only tolling new ones will surely have to give way to a more coordinated approach. Failing to do so will not only clog existing infrastructure to the point where it won't be passable during rush hour but will not fully utilize the new crossings that cost billions. This new system will undoubtedly be controversial, so perhaps it's considered a conversation best held after next spring's provincial election, but it's one that must be held.