New Westminster proposing new four-lane, tolled Pattulo
 

New Westminster proposing new four lane, tolled bridge | News1130

Seems to me that New West has been in the local news a lot regarding various traffic woes since the beginning of 2014. First it was the Port Mann tolls going up to $3 and driving much higher volumes of traffic to the Pattulo. Then it was their mayor and residents' complains making its way through the news. Then the Bailey Bridge recently gets closed for the 2nd time for repairs. And now this.

Undoubtedly traffic volume through New West has increased quite a bit, but do you find the complains valid? or do you consider it more like whining and such? Is a tolled Pattulo good for all of Metro Vancouver?

Personally, I find that with New West being smack in the middle of Metro Vancouver, the pass through traffic problem is unavoidable. It seems to me that the New West traffic infrastructure needs to be beefed up to support the volume, instead of simply taking measures to divert that volume to somewhere else.

I have a feeling that most people will just take the Alex Fraser Bridge if a new bridge is built and tolled, hah.

Just toll every bridge at $1.50 each way. That way it doesn't matter which bride you take, there will be a toll.

Sure, we could have a 4lane patulluo only if you allow us to build a 6 lane viaduct around your city.

I wouldn't mind that. $1.50 each way makes cents. Not too much that it'll hurt the pocketbook, but enough to pay for the stuff.

As a side note, my all time favourite bridge has been closed. By the sounds of it, forever. The single lane bridge some take to Princess Auto. The Baily Bridge at the foot of Braid Street. It doesn't really save anyone that much time, 'cause the overpass at King Edward is completed, but the cool factor of that bridge, LOL.

The feel of the timbers shaking as you cross.

It would make sense to have a yearly fee and toll all the bridges.

which you could pay when you buy your insurance or you opt out and pay a higher rate for each time you cross.

Not sure why your post reminded me of this video...
Maybe because you're really old? haha

Also prevented the North Fraser Perimeter Road from being built.

I hate driving through New West so much and I have to do it 5 days a week to get to my job. Fortunately we are moving our office early next year so I won't have to do it again when that happens.

We should be able to vote on how much would want to pay for each toll crossing.

I would vote that 25 cents for crossing is reasonable for toll bridge in Vancouver.

Love that bridge, lets hope they re-open it!

I always used to take that way on purpose to get onto United rather than taking HWY 1 just to show it to ppl.

I drove over that like less than a month ago. Why did they close it?

TBH that bridge and road makes no sense. The road on the princess auto side is soo wide and has 4 lanes, then it narrows into this rickety 1 lane bridge...

On the other hand it is quite fun to drive over, especially with people who havn't been on it before...

That would make too much sense. The government can't comprehend that level of advanced thinking.

I don't know why they just don't toll every bridge and make it $1 each whenever a new project comes up.

When the project is paid for remove the tolls on the bridges until the next project comes up. Rinse and repeat, everyone is happy. :devil:

Here we go again with the talks of "this is the only way"...the way it is right now should suffice...that and i agree just toll ALL bridges especially bridges going to downtown
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I still have a couple of those. Can't beat the sound of the ringer.


Since you mentioned old phones, I'm trying to win/buy a Kit Kat Klock on eBay. The original one, not the ones they make nowadays.

http://californiaclock.com/kit-cat-w...t-cat-history/

I just heard on traffic radio that the bridge is going to be rebuilt......... if it ain't wooden it ain't the same.

Also, for those who want to drive over it, it's closed down for good, so no chance to experience what we have described.

I tell you guys, we need to make a "must do before they is gone" list. Like the Brave Bull. I went there one week before they closed down for good. Speaking of wooden structures, gotta go ride the roller coaster at the PNE one more time before they deem it unsafe and tear it down.

Building a 4 lane bridge is short sighted, that's not enough for today, let alone 30-50 years from now.

i don't mind if the bridge is tolled. If they lowered the tolls to $1 or $1.50 to all the bridges more people will be willing to pay for it

I'm not an expert on how the Federal-Provincial govt. relationship works and the politics behind highway 1 but, since hwy 1 is a national highway why can't the federal government help pay for the Port Mann? I understand that most Canadians live in Ontario and Quebec, but living out here in the wild west shouldn't prevent us from getting the feds to help? Afterall there are still a large percentage of Canadian taxpayers in BC?

as a starving student living in coquitlam and having to cross over to surrey to go to school, i can't afford these tolls. feelsbadman :okay:

I don't mean (and sorry) to sound like a dick, but there are options to get to school like transit. I don't know if you go to Kwantlen (which I agree, is pretty far to transit but there are a lot of buses that go there) or SFU Surrey (there's Skytrain). Having a car as a "starving student" would be a luxury imo, and if the tolls are eating into your food money there are ways to save that involve leaving the car at home.

Back on topic- I drive the Patullo every day, and have been for the past 5 years. The increase in traffic is definitely noticeable, and has forced me to move my working hours a half hour later to avoid increased volume (even though I'm against rush-hour flow).

Yes a toll would help.

A 4 lane bridge is too short-sighted, as someone mentioned.

And I think if New West wants to complain, they should be told to compromise or shut the fuck up. They're basically one big bottleneck wherever you go in the city, and they're not helping their cause just to maintain their supposed "quiet city life". Sometimes I don't understand why NW has to complain so much. They need to fix their traffic woes yet don't want to add anything to a potential solution.

^^ The irony is, New West itself is trying hard to grow, especially near DT NW. The multiple high rises next to the NW Skytrain station, the NW waterfront area, the new condos along Royal, etc. The city is growing and developing, and Royal, Columbia, and Front streets are getting overwhelmed. The stretch along East Columbia (starting from around Royal Columbian Hospital) has also seen a lot of development, and yet East Columbia is still a stupid two lane road (one lane each way)?! There is no such thing as have your cake and eat it too...

And in 2002 Coquitlam took New Westminster to court as New Westminster tried to close the baily bridge to halt the traffic flow through NW.

I know that last year when the Bailey Bridge broke down, Coquitlam actually offered to pay for replacement bridge that was 2 lanes wide, even though the bridge itself was entirely in New Westsminster. I honestly don't know what was going through the NW municipal government's head...

:failed:

Its not like this province has gas, gold, diamonds, trees or fish to sell... raise the cost of living to clear the roads for the rich and the rest of the people can toughen up and learn how to ride bikes.