British Columbia mayors raising gas tax for transit

Seven metropolitan Vancouver mayors have announced they will approve a plan by the regional TransLink agency that calls for a two-cent per liter hike in the gasoline tax to help build the 6.8-mile Evergreen Line and support other transit projects.

"Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts said it wasn't easy to advocate for any kind of tax increase for transit expansion, but the group felt it had to start planning for the future, especially as Metro Vancouver prepares to welcome another million people by 2040—most of whom will move to transit-poor areas," The Vancouver Sun reported.

Current plans call for the Evergreen Line to use a combination of tunnels and elevated guideways to serve an area extending from Vancouver to some of the eastern suburbs. The line is to begin operating by the end of 2015 and is expected to serve 70,000 passengers per day in 2021, according to Wikipedia.

The Sun said TransLink's Moving Forward plan aims to raise $40 million annually through a two-cent increase in the gas tax—to take effect next April—and another $30 million through user-pay measures such as a vehicle levy, road congestion charges, carbon tax, or tolls. TransLink's 2040 Strategic Plan aims to have 51 per cent of metro Vancouver's daily commuters going to work via transit or bicycles or on foot, as a way to reduce carbon emissions.

The seven mayors, who represent 70 percent of the 2.5 million residents of the region, expect to vote on the tax increase Oct. 7. That should give the measure enough votes to pass despite opposition from some other mayors.

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