METRO VANCOUVER — A Surrey man is leading a petition advocating for the removal of “unfair†tolls in B.C., and instead collecting those funds through a universal license plate fee.
Gary Hee of Clayton Heights is proposing an annual $40 licensing fee.
“As local residents we bear most of the cost while other communities have bridges with no tolls,†the Clayton Heights resident said of the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridge fees.
And the tolls add up quickly, Hee added. The $3-a-way Port Mann Bridge toll for small vehicles equates to $30 a week, or $120 a month for full-time workers, and more for commercial vehicles.
Hee said it’s unfair that people using the Port Mann have to pay tolls, when those using other bridges drive for free.
He added it’s not fair that vehicles using highways, such as South Fraser Perimeter Road and Sea to Sky Highway, also drive toll-free.
"Some people say, 'I don't use a bridge, why should I pay a toll?' When you have a flood, or an avalanche, we help you. This is a universal license plate fee.â€
He said he’s aware of the controversial $75 car tax that was axed more than a decade ago after public outcry, but said it’s time to look at the idea again.
Hee will begin organizing mobile signing stations after Family Day on Feb. 10, and plans to go all around the Lower Mainland until August. He hopes to collect 16,000 signatures.
"There's a lot of people who cannot afford the fees. I figure I’m on the right track,†he said.
Hee will be recruiting volunteers to help at the mobile signing stations.
For more information or to get involved visit www.nobridgetollsinbc.com.
For some time, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts has called for a regional tolling strategy, saying the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridge tolls are unfair to those living south of the Fraser River.