Port Mann Construction

[Graeme S]

Originally Posted by skyxx

They will never do that with the Port Mann. I can guarantee it. It's a massive income for the government. Plus it helps pays for a lot of shit.

You mean like the loans they took out to build it?

[skyxx]

^ That'll never be paid back in full. Bottom line is, they'll NEVER remove it. Unless the Port Mann is poorly maintained after the bridge has been paid back. Pressure from everyone to take it off as a result of what I just said. Anyway, I can guarantee there will be more toll projects after the Port Mann.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by hotjoint

Yes removed, like they did with the Coquihalla Highway

Because they removed the Coq tolls as soon as the highway was paid off, amirite?

[hotjoint]

Originally Posted by UFO

Because they removed the Coq tolls as soon as the highway was paid off, amirite?

haha I don't know the story behind that. All I know is that they removed it. Wasn't the Lionsgate tolled way back as well? Just wishful thinking

[murd0c]

Originally Posted by UFO

Because they removed the Coq tolls as soon as the highway was paid off, amirite?

they removed the tolls 10 years late...

[UFO]

Yet it happened virtually overnight

[melloman]

Originally Posted by skyxx

Anyway, I can guarantee there will be more toll projects after the Port Mann.

Of course there are.

Patullo's plans already have a DEFINITE toll lined up in the schedule.
Also the Massey Tunnel project will have a toll, whether it be made into a bridge or an additional tunnel is bored, a toll there is inevitable.

[sekin67835]

Can't blame them. No one wants to spend money on building infrastructure. Money has to come in from somewhere.
Posted via RS Mobile

[skyxx]

I personally don't mind the the tolls. It's the only way to supplement the cost of building better roads.

[JesseBlue]

^then let's toll all bridges and tunnels...makes sense right? let user's pay for building better roads..or do you mean you don't mind the toll on golden ears and port mann or the soon to be new patullo?

[UFO]

^with that blanket tolling of all bridges and tunnels, you could decrease the toll amounts to generate the income that you need. Take it a step further, toll based how much you drive regardless of whether its road, bridge, tunnel. Like a glorified gas tax if you will

[Hondaracer]

i have far less of a problem paying for a bridge I use on a daily basis opposed to paying a fucking Translink tax for using public transit MAYBE 3 times a year?

fuck translink

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by Soundy

Dammit... listening to the traffic this morning, St. Johns is SERIOUSLY backed up from an accident, everyone's going Mary Hill instead, which is seriously backing THAT up... I'd just take the Golden Ears and then the Port Mann and avoid it all heading downtown, except I have to stop for parts just off United. Guess I could still do it and then double back...

Well, I did it... took me 20 minutes of clear, smooth sailing from Pitt Meadows to Glacier Dr. Going the normal route with the MHB backed up to the pedestrian overpass, it would take half an hour just to make it through that wad of traffic to get onto United.

Not a massive gas savings, but hey, it's the company vehicle

Originally Posted by Traum

Is it just me, or does it seem like there is an accident on the new Port Mann every other day, and then it fxxks the traffic up big time?

So what's your point? Like someone else said, it's not some magical bridge that does away with accidents... and like I said earlier, it doesn't matter if you make a road 10 lanes each way, an accident will always fuck things up just because all the idiots have to slow down and see what's going on. Doesn't matter if it's a bridge or a regular section of freeway, you just can't fix stupid.

[Messerschmitt]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

i have far less of a problem paying for a bridge I use on a daily basis opposed to paying a fucking Translink tax for using public transit MAYBE 3 times a year?

fuck translink

You mean how they have a Translink tax in the petrol AND in bchydro bill? AND in SFU parking?

And how you need to pay 11$ from next year if you have to travel from one end to the other with return?

How Toronto (no zones) only costs you 6$ for a return from one end to the other?

Thranslink is the biggest ripoff. It's not even govn. It's private (AFAIK). And they get all these subsidies. I think we need to vote a new govn.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by Messerschmitt

It's not even govn. It's private (AFAIK). And they get all these subsidies. I think we need to vote a new govn.

Anyone else see a problem with this logic?

Instead of "AFAIK", the information is pretty easy to find:

Governance and Board

Governance and Board
As guided by the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Act (the Act), TransLink has a multi-tiered governance structure that includes: the Board of Directors, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation and the Regional Transportation Commissioner. A Screening Panel, established annually, is responsible for nominating candidates for appointment to the Board.

The Board has the responsibility and the mandate to make decisions in the interest of TransLink within the limits established by the Act.

Governance Model

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by Messerschmitt

You mean how they have a Translink tax in the petrol AND in bchydro bill? AND in SFU parking?

And how you need to pay 11$ from next year if you have to travel from one end to the other with return?

How Toronto (no zones) only costs you 6$ for a return from one end to the other?

Thranslink is the biggest ripoff. It's not even govn. It's private (AFAIK). And they get all these subsidies. I think we need to vote a new govn.

Originally Posted by MindBomber

Toronto Transit Commission covers a 622 square kilometer service area.

Translink covers a 2977 square kilometer service area.

It's completely unreasonable to compare the pricing of a Translink 3 zone pass to a TTC pass, because the two passes service completely incomparable sized areas. It's like saying a flight to Toronto should cost the same as a flight to Calgary.

It would be reasonable to compare pricing of a Translink 1 zone pass to a TTC pass, because those two passes service comparable sized service areas. Oddly enough, Translink suddenly offers much better value when you do that - Translink $91 (2013) 1 zone pass compared to the TTC $126 pass.

Next time you feel like making a post like this spend a moment researching and reading on the subject first. You'll actually achieve something that way.

You live in a first world country, a place where transit is subsidized on the same principles as education. A SFU student suggesting transit should not be subsidized, because they do not make use of the service is completely hypocrital; a SFU education is largely being paid for by people in the work force who have either never attended post-secondary or attended only short technical programs.

Originally Posted by UFO

^with that blanket tolling of all bridges and tunnels, you could decrease the toll amounts to generate the income that you need. Take it a step further, toll based how much you drive regardless of whether its road, bridge, tunnel. Like a glorified gas tax if you will

I do not like this concept.

I hold the belief that gas taxes are a highly appropriate driving tax; it's a simple, streamlined, and fair base system.

I do support tolling all bridges, tunnels, and routes such as the Coquihalla and Sea to Sky, because the cost of building and maintaining them makes up a disproportionate percentage of cost relative to use for the overall road network. The people who make use of those services should therefore foot the bill. Not the person in Langley who crosses a bridge twice a year.

[Gridlock]

My only issue on tolling is it would be nice if it was done across the board.

We have a nice new highway to a ski resort...for free

We have a nice new highway for trucks to use...for free. Furthermore, those trucks are carrying goods, products and services through, not to our province. The end user of a vast majority never paid tax to contribute to the highway at all.

We have the Port Mann at $3 a trip, which I still to this day believe to be excessive in a land of: gas tax. Translink tax. Carbon Tax.

That's my issue right there. I'm not a hippie that was protesting against the gateway project. I'm a person that is starting to say "enough".

[MindBomber]

The Gateway Project should be tolled, but it never will be.

It's simple, really. The economy benefits from construction both during and after, but investing a billion dollars a year in infrastructure is not practical or sustainable in the long term. The finances to do that are not in the budget, and even if we were to have a government operated as efficiently as a private sector business they would continue to be absent. The only answer is tolls, a solution people and businesses will happily accept if they experience a benefit from the projects.

The Gateway truck route will cost $3 billion dollars, but if it doesn't save drivers time over current routes it will be empty. If it does save drivers money, it will be eagerly embraced. A tractor-trailer costs about $65 an hour to operate - that's $1.08 a minute. If there were a $3 toll for use of the Gateway truck route it would make financial sense if it saved 4 minutes or more. If the route saves drivers less than 4 minutes it's a failure in concept, achieving almost nothing. If the route is well designed, even with a toll, the drivers its designed for will happily use it. It doesn't have a toll though, and that's a $3 billion dollar fuck-up IMO.

[Gridlock]

So rush hour starts at 3 now in New West. Awesome.

[JesseBlue]

and 6am in surrey going to patullo...

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

If the route is well designed, even with a toll, the drivers its designed for will happily use it. It's not though, and that's a $3 billion dollar fuck-up IMO.

How do you make this determination when the 75% or more of the route isn't even finished and in use yet?

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

So rush hour starts at 3 now in New West. Awesome.

Originally Posted by JesseBlue

and 6am in surrey going to patullo...

Hwy. 1 eastbound was smooth sailing from Willingdon all the way to the United exit at 4:30 this afternoon. Speed never dropped below 40km/h the whole way.

If someone wants to fight through the Patullo crush for a couple hours as a "protest" against paying a buck and a half to get there in 20 minutes... by all means, let them. Their idiocy makes life easier for the rest of us.

[mb_]

Took me just over 20 minutes to get from Surrey to BCIT this morning..

[Gridlock]

Originally Posted by Soundy

How do you make this determination when the 75% or more of the route isn't even finished and in use yet?

re-read his post. You didn't understand it.

[Hondaracer]

tempted to hoof it out onto the old port mann for some pictures late night