The Editor,
Re: "Chestbeating over bridge rings hollow," the Now, April 17.
Michael Booth's column tweaked my interest and stirred me to offer my two bits. To Booth's suggestion that the province reacquire ownership of the Pattullo, I offer the following thoughts.
While politicians, both regional and provincial, agree in principle that the aging Pattullo Bridge needs replacing, nobody raised the issue of tolling within the context of the current provincial tolling policy.
Before the new PMH1IP project was even off the drawing board, the Pattullo Bridge was designated as the toll-free alternative to the to-be-tolled Port Mann Bridge in accordance with a much hyped-up tolling policy.
That policy essentially sold all of us uninformed and desperate south-of-Fraser drivers that it was perfectly "fair" to toll the new Port Mann because the Pattullo was free.
On hindsight, it was misleading on the part of of the province to designate a crossing that it does not even own as its "designated toll-free" crossing. I wonder if the situation were reversed, would the province reciprocate? I doubt it.
Fast-forward to today. The current tollfree status of the Pattullo Bridge needs to be part of any discussion and decision to replace the aging structure. Barring a retraction /revision of the current tolling policy, a replacement Pattullo cannot be tolled. Furthermore, if the replacement Pattullo is tolled, another toll-free crossing would need to be built.
Is it not arguable that the province assume the added costs of maintaining the present Patullo as a result of traffic which bypassed the tolled Port Mann - even if it does not re-acquire ownership? And, it should assume the capital cost of a new tollfree crossing-keeping in mind that a tolling policy exists? There is no doubt in my mind that the province should own the Pattullo Bridge along with its attendant problems.
Tosh Suzuki, North Delta