When will we reach the tipping point where it will be considered safe for a political leader to authorize sustainable funding for public transit? Or will we ever reach that point again?
For now, many are convinced we’re not there, hence the mania for auditing TransLink, as though that will miraculously yield enough bus loaves and fishes to feed transit to the multitudes. It’s not going to happen. Neither the new three-year plan that will save $47 million a year and boost revenues by $60 million nor a miracle reversal of gas tax revenue declines will stop the slow strangulation our transit system is currently experiencing without new investment.
TransLink needs to be more efficient. It needs to be policed by people who aren’t double-dipping. It needs to regain trust with voters. But after all that, it’s still going to need new funding to properly maintain, service and upgrade transportation infrastructure in Metro Vancouver.
Much of the public chatter about TransLink reminds me of the joke about what men really mean when talking to women.
“What kind of work do you do?” really means “I want to go to bed with you.” “Do you like hiking?” really means “I want to go to bed with you.” “You look terrific” really means “I want to go to bed with you.”
According to Langley-based Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation (what is that, anyway?), most people think transit is a good idea for their friends and neighbours but not for them, so they don’t want to pay for it.
That’s the message that caused Premier Christy Clark to kick aside, without any consultation or negotiation, a painfully crafted proposal to approve a vehicle levy to keep transit moving and improving.
Here’s what I think is really going on: “We need to wait and see TransLink run more efficiently” really means “I don’t want to pay for someone else’s transit.”
“TransLink is politically unaccountable” really means “I don’t want to pay for someone else’s transit.”
“We’re being taxed to death” really means “I don’t want to pay for someone else’s transit.”
“We have to wait until the economy recovers before investing in more rapid transit” really means “I don’t want to pay for someone else’s transit.”
So the question becomes: When does “someone else’s transit” become “my transit, my way of getting around,” or something that benefits me – not just my friends and neighbours? When will enough voters view transit as being in their interest?
The evidence shows that the time is coming soon. Metro Vancouver ridership has jumped from 130 million trips a year in 2000 to 233 million last year. Higher costs of fuel are pushing people to look for more affordable and convenient ways to get around. Developers are clamouring for transit to development sites because those units served by frequent transit are selling faster and at higher prices than car-dependent sites.
Gen X and Y adults are buying fewer cars than their parents. Car trips into the city of Vancouver have been declining for the past 10 years. Proof that car-dependent suburbs create fat sick kids is now indisputable. The productivity possibilities on wifi-connected buses and trains are now well-known. The pressure to make this region more affordable to employees who need frequent and late-night transit is mounting. Students who are waiting two hours to get on buses out of UBC are rightfully pissed.
At some point, the political winds are going to change direction. They may already have, but no provincial politician has the guts to test them. Until someone does, this region will slowly choke on congestion, pass-ups and lost economic opportunities as bus routes continue to be curtailed, buses sold and new projects frozen. •
