Rising tolls, rising anger.
Fifteen cents doesn’t mean much – unless you’re talking Port Mann Bridge tolls.
On Aug. 15, rates for cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs rose 15 cents per crossing. If you’re a regular bridge user, commuting to work Monday to Friday, that’s $1.50 more each week. Again, not much.
But over the course of a month, it’s an extra $6.50. In a year, it’s an extra $78. Your grand total to cross the bridge will now be $1,638.
TI Corp., which saw traffic across the Port Mann decline in 2014 after ending half-price introductory tolls in December 2013, claims numbers have picked up recently, with year-over-year growth for the last seven months.
The increase in fees, it says, is needed to pay for operating and maintenance costs, like clearing debris. Oh, and that bothersome $3.6-billion debt, due by 2050.
The problem with the 15-cent increase is that each time rates rise, more drivers head for the Pattullo. People aren’t always rational, and sometimes it feels better to avoid the toll, even if that means idling in gridlocked New Westminster and burning more than enough gas to cancel out any savings.
TI Corp. seems to be taking a B.C. Ferries-approach to managing the bridge, by turning drivers off with rising fees. The difference is you can choose not to travel to the Island for a vacation, but you can’t choose not to cross the Fraser for work, unless you want to find a different job.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. If the cost of living in Metro Vancouver weren’t so exorbitant – B.C. is now known as “Bring Cash” not just to people in Alberta, but increasingly, to those in the rest of Canada and even some in the U.S. – we’d say it’s no big deal and drivers should just suck up this $78-per-year increase.
But with so many people struggling with massive mortgage payments, high gas prices and other costs, maybe TI Corp. should drop toll rates and go for volume instead. It might end up getting more revenue in the long run.
