Editor:
Re: Paton wants missing info from new tunnel business case (Optimist, online, Oct. 21).
It seems our one issue MLA, Ian Paton is flogging a dead horse over the Massey Tunnel replacement. Why is it that elected officials always perceive themselves as transit experts, while in reality they know little?
The Liberals wanted to replace the perfectly good Massey Tunnel with a massive bridge for two reasons:
1) Political prestige, where large and expensive concrete infrastructure can be used over and over again at election time.
2) BC Liberal political friends in the Harbours Board wanted to deepen the South Arm channel to allow deep draught Cape Max colliers, tankers and massive natural gas tankers can use Surrey Docks.
The real issue now is where will the traffic go?
One should consider the “Downs iron law of congestion"; “On urban commuter expressways, peak-hour traffic congestion rises to meet maximum capacity.” In other words, adding lanes won’t cure snarled traffic; the additional car space inevitably invites more trips, until gridlock is as bad as ever
All the new tunnel or bridge will do is turn Highway 99 into a parking lot in Richmond!
Also Mr. Paton should consider the Liberals' nondisclosure of the Canada Line P-3, as the public still do not know the true cost of the capacity constipated metro, nor the many secret deals done with good Liberal political friend, and Canada Line concessionaire, SNC Lavalin!
The Canada Line is the only heavy rail metro in the world that has less capacity than a simple streetcar line, costing as much as ten times more to build!
MLA Paton should better start investigating why the Expo Line extension to Langley has jumped from $1.63 billion, as claimed by a Liberal friendly mayor in 2018, to now over $4 billion!
I am certain the taxpayer wants to know!
Malcolm Johnston
