Editor:
It was express, faster than driving, and cost less than parking; a chance to read, snooze or watch while whizzing past stalled traffic.
I commuted daily by bus between Tsawwassen and Downtown Vancouver. But that was long ago before I retired. TransLink now says South Delta underutilizes its service and can't have more.
The new Massey Tunnel Replacement Consultation Guide says single-occupant cars are 77 per cent of tunnel traffic. Buses are about one per cent of rush hour tunnel traffic but carry "up to 26 per cent of people traveling through the tunnel." Carpools are 10 per cent and trucks are the remaining 12 per cent.
Rather than contemplating how we might spend $2 billion on infrastructure to ease congestion, shouldn't we instead, or at least first, try to persuade those driving 77 per cent of the vehicles to ride buses? What would it take to entice perhaps half of them? Different routes or schedules, creature comforts, financial inducements or ... threats of a $2 billion tax hit?
How about a program to encourage and support carpools? Would a well planned and executed "Massey Bus" promotion yield both added TransLink fare box revenue and eased tunnel congestion? I don't know, but it seems irresponsible to not find out.
Ed Ries
