We can learn a lot from watching water. Flowing water always follows the path of least resistance. Barriers slow its progress, but water always finds another way.
Water flow is a metaphor for so many aspects of out lives.
Take traffic. Anyone that commutes knows the effect of a barrier (such as a stall, accident or a dreaded cell phone or HOV check) on the flow of traffic. A problem on the Port Mann spills to the Patullo Bridge, then to the Alex Fraser, and, finally, to our tunnel.
We're about to get a new barrier for some drivers - a $3 toll on the Port Mann. Three bucks a crossing is pretty steep, and regardless of the fact that saving a pile of time and fuel that will offset some of the cost, many will flood to the Patullo. The added traffic at the Patullo sends people west, and so on down the line to the tunnel.
The idea of always having a free option is good politics, but will only make things worse. Traffic on those so-called free crossings will build as people flood away from the tolled crossings. Longer waits and wasted fuel idling in line will make that free option a lot more expensive.
You'd think the toll on the Port Mann wouldn't affect us in South Delta too much. But I have a feeling that, when the toll comes into effect, we'll be spending a lot more time parked on Highway 17 waiting to get through the tube.
It may seem a little counterintuitive, but eventually we may want a small toll on the tunnel, not because we like giving the government, or worse yet TransLink, more of our money, but because it will be a small barrier that will keep extra traffic looking in other places for their free option. Fifty or 75 cents a crossing might be enough to make a driver think twice about driving 20 kilometres out of their way to save a couple of bucks.
That said, I don't think we should be tolling crossings, we should use tolls to get better use of the assets we have more efficiently. Traffic is heaviest in the morning and afternoon rush. If we could spread traffic out a bit, we'd all get where we are headed faster, saving time and fuel. If we have to have tolls, there should be incentives to drive at off-peak times when there is less traffic.
What about full tolls at rush hours, half tolls on shoulder times between rush hours and free crossings overnight? The goal is to reduce traffic congestion, not reduce travel. And if we want to make sure we don't create a cascading effect from one crossing to another, the tolls should be more manageable, so the savings in fuel almost cover the cost of the toll.
If we have learned anything from the Golden Ears Bridge, we should know that using tolls to generate revenue doesn't work.
I don't want a toll on the tunnel, but a small one now might be a benefit overall, even while we have our promised 10-year consultation on a new tunnel. Everyone knows how experienced we are at long consultations.
