‘Transit funding model is broken’ West charges as mayors launching letter-writing campaign

If the region’s mayors were in the driver’s seat, the Oct. 19 provincial election would be about public transportation.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, who also serves as Chair of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, recently emphasized the high stakes of the election.

“If public transit is not a priority for the next government of B.C., we will not be able to sustain our already-overcrowded transit system, let alone make the crucial expansion of services our communities desperately need through the Access for Everyone Plan,” he stated in a press release.

The 10-year transportation plan includes more than doubling bus service while adding a North Shore transit connection, a Burnaby Mountain gondola, and 450 kilometres of separated cycling paths.

The plan would also connect Coquitlam’s city centre with Maple Ridge via dedicated bus lanes and transit signal priority down Lougheed. Coquitlam’s city centre would also have a direct bus connection to Surrey along Highway 1 and Highway 7.

TransLink would also “undertake an exploratory business case,” for bringing the Millennium Line to Port Coquitlam.

The Mayors’ Council previously sent an open letter to B.C. political party leaders asking for a commitment to that plan as well as a $3.4 billion annual transit fund indexed to population growth and inflation.

During Tuesday’s Union of BC Municipalities convention, the Mayors’ Council launched a letter-writing campaign to underscore the importance of increasing transportation funding.

“The transit funding model is broken, and we are facing drastic cuts to service that will devastate our region if new funding is not identified. That is why we are asking the public to reach out to their local candidates and tell them to do the right thing and save transit in Metro Vancouver,” West stated.

Amid a $600-million structural deficit, TransLink could cut service creating “catastrophic effects throughout the region,” the release from the Mayors’ Council stated.

“Service cuts could disproportionately affect vulnerable populations who rely heavily on public transit,” stated S.U.C.C.E.S.S. CEO Queenie Choo in the release.

Funding transit is critical to reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, stated HUB Cycling executive director Laura Jane.

“Expanding safe and connected active transportation networks alongside transit services is essential for providing alternatives to personal vehicles and fostering a healthier, more sustainable future for all British Columbians,” Jane stated.

Asked for comment about TransLink’s funding model, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming took aim at B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad.

“John Rustad will take us backwards to the time when they chose confrontation with Mayors instead of collaboration to get things done,” Fleming stated.

The province will work with TransLink and the Mayors’ Council on the 10-year Access for Everyone plan, Fleming added.

Queried about TransLink’s $600-million structural deficit, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure cited “unwavering support for transit expansion” in the region.

“Over the past few years, we have provided funding to make sure that TransLink hasn’t had to cut services,” the ministry representative stated.