Eby rules out mobility pricing, while Falcon stands by bridge tolls
While David Eby is ruling out mobility pricing, BCUP Leader Kevin Falcon has repeatedly endorsed putting tolls on drivers.
As Transportation Minister in 2007, Falcon said he’d consider introducing road pricing: “Then I believe we have the ability to say we’ve now got this range of public transit options out there, therefore we can now take a hard look at things like congestion tolling.” (June 22 2007, Surrey Leader)
Falcon’s tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges cost families up to $1,500 a year before the BC NDP removed them in 2017.
Since 2020, Kevin Falcon has expressed support for bridge tolls at least eight times:
“The NDP took the tolls off the Port Mann Bridge. I would put my climate record up against any of those jokers any day of the week.” (Nov 20 2022, Kamloops This Week)
“I’m not going to let the NDP pretend that they’ve done some great service by taking bridge tolls off of the Port Mann.” June 13, 2022, VanColour
“Yes, they took tolls off the Port Mann Bridge, and yes traffic growth grew by 30% within a number of weeks and that we now have, basically, Los Angeles on that corridor.” May 2 2022, CKNW
Said removing tolls was “terrible public policy.” February 4 2022, CBC
“I think it was a short-sighted move.” (Oct 1 2021, RED FM)
“And when you’ve got a government like the NDP, they like to brag that they took tolls off the Port Mann Bridge. Sure, they took tolls off the bridge. But guess what? That is one of the most anti environmental moves you can actually do.” (May 19 2021, Business in Vancouver)
Said implementing tolls was “the right thing to do.” May 18 2021, CKNW
“I’ll concede it was smart politics to remove the tolls, if really bad public policy.” (Oct 20 2020, Daily Hive)