Editor:
At first glance, the premier's announcement for a new bridge across the Fraser River looks good but when one studies the offer of a new bridge a lot of disturbing questions surface. The George Massey Tunnel does not need to be replaced, as it just had a large and expensive seismic upgrade.
It seems that lobbyists for Port Metro Vancouver have convinced the premier to get rid of the tunnel so they can deepen the river to allow massive bulk carriers to reach Surrey docks to load coal and oil.
Wasn't the Roberts Bank superport created so massive bulk carriers did not need to travel up the Fraser, saving time, large pilotage fees and the taxpayer not needing to pay for regular dredging? What about the extra traffic the 10-lane bridge will dump into Richmond? The tunnel, having only four lanes, provided passive traffic calming, regulating the flow of traffic. All the new bridge will do is move gridlock to the next choke points, the Knight and Oak Street bridges.
There is no mention of easing congestion on the lonely Queensborough Bridge, which is older than the tunnel and is at capacity almost all day. Unless there is a new bridge to Vancouver, gridlock will be endemic on Highway 99 and in Richmond.
The proposed bridge makes a farce with improving transit south of the river as the Liberal government, is investing in "rubber on asphalt" with single-occupancy cars, leaving transit mainly for the poor, the elderly and students.
The $2.5 billion Canada Line is shown the white elephant it is; too expensive to expand and extend, with ridership coming mainly from bus customers forced to transfer to the minimetro.
The hypocrisy associated with the proposed bridge knows no bounds, with the mayor (a Liberal surrogate) following the government line that a referendum is OK for TransLink funding, but not for a new bridge. What are the mayor and the premier afraid of? An outbreak of true democracy? The timing of the proposed bridge is so designed to give leverage to the South Delta Liberal candidate in the 2017 election. The proposed crossing, which will be tolled, is all about pleasing political friends, winning elections and leaving legacies, not improving traffic flows.
Malcolm Johnston
