For Whom the Bell Tolls

What will it take, how many more lies from Gordon Campbell do we have to put up with?

The Port Mann bridge, we have all seen the photo op, the habitual liar Gordon Campbell wearing a hard hat and vest and talking(lying) to the media, Gordon Campbell made very deliberate statements in regard to the Port Mann bridge toll structure, Campbell said and I quote....

"On opening day of the new Port Mann bridge the tolls will be $3 dollars each way"snip

Well, another half truth, half lie, it`s been revealed that the concession agreement Campbell signed with the tolling outfit clearly states, anyone who crosses the bridge without a transponder will be subject to a $2.30 surcharge on top of the $2.85 toll for a grand total of $5.15 each way to cross the bridge.

Well, Gordon Campbell is partially right, the toll will be $2.85 on opening day, but two days later the toll has gone up to $5.15 each way, I knew something was up when Campbell phrased it that way....."Tolls will be $3.0o each way on opening day"

What the hell is going on here, let me see if I have this right, the Macquarie group couldn`t get financing so the Province is financing the bridge with tax dollars, us BCers won`t get our money back for at least 35 years, we finance that whole project and Campbell signs a ridiculous concession agreement to a private firm to gouge drivers!

Here are some other toll numbers ......A small truck, the toll is $5.70 each way(plus $2.30 if they don`t pay within 24 hours).....Large truck is $8.55 each way(plus $2.30 if not paid in 24 hours)

What is a small truck? A pick up truck?....An SUV?...

Lets do a little simple math friends.....Lets start with the lowest rate......A car with transponder will pay yearly, if they cross the bridge 20 days per month for a year, comes to $1272.00 per year plus the cost of the transponder.....A small truck with transponder, crossing 20 days per month for a year....Comes to $2736.00 per year plus transponder cost.....A large truck with transponder.... crossing 20 day per month for a year comes to...$4104.00 per year....And..........


How many middle class families live south of the Fraser, a wife, husband, 2 teenage children, do the math, the husband works in Burnaby, the wife in Richmond, and the kids drive, there must be thousands of families that will be hit with having to pay double or triple the above numbers, heck, I didn1t even count week-ends or days you may cross twice each way.

And it gets worse, the tolls are pegged to inflation and or a minimum increase each year, the number being tossed around is roughly 10 to 20 cent increase each way, each year, so in a matter of a few years families could be paying out $6000 to $8000 thousand dollars every year, and those are after tax dollars.

Now lets discuss this extra fee that you will be charged if you don`t have a transponder and don`t pay in 48 hours, bullshit....That is worse than credit cards, how can they charge you a premium before you`re even sent a bill, can a person drop a cheque in the mail? the mail takes longer, what about people without credit cards, why should people be punished financially for driving over a bridge, that can`t be legal, it`s usury, loan sharks, if they want payment right away they must have a non-transponder lane with a physical collection booth, it`s as simple as that.

Tolling the trans Canada highway, wow.....Look at the cost to those trucks, all that money charged to trucks will have to be passed on TO CONSUMERS....And what is the definition of a SMALL TRUCK?

GORDON CAMPBELL LIED ABOUT THE TOLL STRUCTURE, sort of, nobody asked the question of Campbell,........How much will the tolls be 2 days after the bridge opens, just like the HST spin, it wasn`t on our radar, we weren`t contemplating the HST,......Word games, I can guarantee you that the Alex Fraser bridge will be gridlock, the patullo bridge will be grid lock, the lougheed highway will be grid lock, the Port Mann bridge will be a money loser, also....

Who will buy property in the valley if they work in the city, people won`t be crossing the bridge to go shopping, or restaurants, $2736.00 per year in tolls for a small truck, what the hell is a small truck, carbon tax goes up on July1st, more money gone, parking spaces because of Translink and the HST will be taxed at 35%....That`s right folks, Translink has raised the parking tax from 7% to 21% and that tax gets taxed again with the HST, here is the example, if your parking stall costs $200 dollars per month, after the Translink tax and the HST tax the cost of said parking spot rises to $270.00 per month....

And with the massive spike on hydro rates, MSP rates skyrocketing, property taxes up, user fees up, HST, Translink, ICBC, carbon tax.....

The people in the Fraser valley are going to get hammered all the way to the poorhouse....Thanks to the great financial manager and habitual liar Gordon Campbell(insert sarcasm here).....You can read about the toll structure here.


http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Critics+hours+Port+Mann+Bridge+toll+unreasonable/3138863/story.html


Lastly folks, maybe you think the tolls are about changing attitudes, transit, bicycles, , it isn`t, the whole Big new bridge against twinning the existing(good for 80 years existing port mann bridge) was about road building, prefered bidders, it`s about Gordon Campbell giving his club members a cash cow......And, even if evryone took transit, car pooled, rode bikes, you would still have to pay, it will take 35 years to pay off the bridge and that is based on a vehicle laden bridge for 35 years, if the Port Mann goes the way off the Golden Ears bridge(no traffic).......Then the Government would be forced to collect fees from somewhere, either jack up tolls or a bridge levy fee on the valley, indeed friends, Gordon the impaler even stuck it his own voters in the Fraser Valley, and stuck them for decades!


Go ahead Campbell, you two-bit dictator, shake every last penny from the masses, a lifetime of bodyguards, looking over your shoulder, what goes around comes around..Pleasant dreams Gordo....

The Straight Goods

Cheers-Eyes Wide Open