Editor:
Kevin Falcon's continued nonsense about the tunnel or bridge is getting rather tiresome and it seems the Liberal hopeful has little to offer than dated rhetoric.
Falcon's 10-lane bridge concept reminds me of Bent Flyvberg’s Iron Law of Mega-projects specifically addressing why politicians are obsessed with infrastructure at any cost.
…the “political sublime,” which here is understood as the rapture politicians get from building monuments to themselves and their causes. Mega-projects are manifest, garner attention, and lend an air of proactiveness to their promoters. Moreover, they are media magnets, which appeals to politicians who seem to enjoy few things better than the visibility they get from starting mega-projects. Except maybe cutting the ribbon of one in the company of royals or presidents, who are likely to be present lured by the unique monumental and historical import of many mega-projects. This is the type of public exposure that helps get politicians re-elected. They therefore actively seek it out.
Other than there isn't the extra capacity of roads in Richmond and bridges going to Vancouver to take the extra traffic added from a 10-lane bridge, creating gridlock in Richmond, the 10-lane bridge flies in the face of the current goal of reducing auto and truck traffic needed to meet global warming and climate change targets.
What Falcon's actually communicating is that he does not care about climate change or global warming.
Looking at past records, the actual cost in 2017 of the proposed bridge replacing the perfectly good Massey Tunnel, would be $8 billion, if one calculated long-term bonds, short-term loans, and borrowing from a private partner. Calculating the cost of inflation from 2017, would make the cost in excess of $9.36 billion! Switching back to a bridge will only increase this cost, meaning higher taxes and bridge tolls if Falcon is elected.
Kevin Falcon wants to be Premier, but he will not win the brass ring by ignoring the real issues of today, Climate Change and Global warming, by regurgitating old news for faded photo-ops and 10-second sound bites about a 10-lane bridge to gridlock.
Malcolm Johnston
