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GUEST COLUMN
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CAMPBELL FAILS THE NEEDS OF SURREY AS ONE OF THE REGION'S FASTEST GROWING CITIES |
By Jagrup Brar, MLA for Surrey-Panorama
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Broken promises, terribly inadequate transit service and fuel taxes are just some of the hallmarks of the Campbell government when it comes to bringing in expanded, affordable transit options for Surrey.
As a Surrey MLA I am concerned that the level of transit service in Surrey is woefully inadequate and increasingly unaffordable.
The Campbell government has told Surrey it may have to wait until 2020 before funding any significant transit improvements. And if waiting over 10 years wasn’t enough to cause concern, a recent staff report to Surrey City Council paints an even bleaker picture of TransLink's long-term plans.
The staff studied TransLink's 10-year plan and reported that with a looming funding shortfall, the plan for expanded transit is likely to fail. "In the absence of sustainable and sufficient resources for TransLink to fund the necessary infrastructure and related operational costs associated with meeting the goals of the strategy, the strategy is doomed to failure," says the report.
TransLink’s own modest plans for expansion will result in deficits of $150 million per year by 2011. The Campbell government’s unfunded transit wish list will push TransLink further into deficit – between $200 and $300 million annually. Without help from the Campbell government, this could result in higher transit fares, property taxes, gas taxes, or a reduction in service.
TransLink’s chief financial officer, Ian Jarvis, has said that without government funding, we can expect higher gas and parking taxes to pay the bills. TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said that without new funding, the only options available to TransLink are to raise fares or property taxes, or cut service. Campbell’s own handpicked TransLink board has said if necessary, they have the power to jack the gas tax in this region another three cents a litre.
The people of Surrey are suffering in traffic gridlock and an arrogant Campbell government continues to pound us for more with the gas tax, while failing to deliver transit needs.
What’s even more disturbing is to see Campbell spending millions of taxpayer dollars on ads to promote his unfair gas tax and encourage people to ride green – money that could be better spent delivering expanded transit service to Surrey. It’s complete environmental hypocrisy.
When Vancouver was the same size as Surrey is today, it had 400 buses on the road. Today Surrey has just 83 buses to serve its 400,000 people. That tells you how big the gap is in the services we have in the city of Surrey. It is no wonder that three-quarters of the cars on the road are single-occupancy vehicles.
Under Campbell, there is a critical deficit in transit investment. The Evergreen Line through the Tri-Cities is years behind schedule, a replacement to the crumbling Pattullo Bridge is barely in the planning stages, and there is a critical shortage of buses, all because Gordon Campbell broke his promise to respect regional transportation planning.
Working families in Surrey are feeling overwhelmed by pocketbook issues. Whether it’s ICBC rate hikes, increased hydro and gas rates or skyrocketing transit fares, Gordon Campbell has taken us in the wrong direction. His government’s policies are making it harder for low and middle-income families to make ends meet and they’re driving down transit usage.
Many Surrey residents feel that transit fares have reached a ceiling. Today, it costs $10 to take a return transit trip from Surrey to Vancouver. A minimum-wage employee travelling from Surrey to Vancouver spends close to a sixth of their income just to ride the bus or SkyTrain to get to work. Taking transit to work shouldn’t cost more than many people make in an hour. It’s a direct tax on working people and on the poor.
The people of Surrey deserve better. We spend hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes to support our transit system. Surrey deserves solutions that will encourage ridership, make transit accessible, affordable and safe now, not years from now.
The NDP has been calling for expanded transit and a roll back on fares. Over the past year, the NDP has engaged British Columbians by knocking on doors, visiting SkyTrain stations, attending community events and visiting people’s homes to build support for better transit solutions.
As we continue our fight for improved transit, we will be hammering the B.C. Liberals over the unfair gas tax. We have launched an on-line petition, at www.axethegastax.ca
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