Skullduggery/BC Liberal Edition

Well isn`t this interesting, there is something going on here, far more than meets the eye, as you know the Golden ears bridge has failed to deliver, in an 11th hour deal(different from the original contract)the builder of the Golden ears bridge demanded and changed the deal, they were no longer going to collect tolls and rely on car traffic, they too didn`t believe the traffic forecast..

 Translink had to guarantee X amount of dollars every month regardless of the traffic, this has resulted in the Golden Ears bridge costing Translink 10`s of millions every year..This guaranteed fee schedule rises every year..

Here are those fee structures, from an earlier Straight Goods post.

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The Fee Schedule___________________________________________________

1. Translink will pay to the builders from June/20/2009 through to December 31/2009 ...$500.000,00 (1/2 million dollars) per month,plus a monthly maintenance fee of $316.000,00.
2. From Jan 1/2010 through to June 30/2010 Translink will pay the builder $1.5 million dollars per month plus a monthly maintenance fee of $316.000,00 dollars.
3. From July 1/2010 through to June 30/2011 Translink will pay the builder $3 million dollars per month plus a monthly maintenance fee of $316.000,00 dollars.
4. From July 1/2011 though to June 30/2015 Translink will pay the builder $4 million per month plus a monthly maintenance fee of 316.000,00 dollars.
5. From July 1/2015 through to ...................2040 translink will pay the builder $4.7 million dollars plus a monthly maintenance fee of $316.000,00 dollars.

 The Straight Goods: Golden Ears Bridge Boondoggle Revisited(Updated 

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So here`s the deal, the Port Mann bridge is a toll bridge, it will cost drivers $2000 dollars per vehicle per year on average, more for medium trucks and even more of a cost for transport trucks, much more....There are fears already that drivers will drive around the bridge clogging up already over capacity crossings(Alex Fraser/Pattullo/Pitt River)...and rat-racing through residential routes to avoid tolls

These tolls will rise every year, these drivers are already getting ripped off for fuel... And now there is another betrayal from the BC Liberals and it`s possible BC`s mayors are playing the game too...

Here is what Kevin Falcon promised the people south of the Fraser, and I quote.
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"The new bridge will replace the existing 45-year-old bridge and provide badly needed capacity to meet current and future traffic demand, including a new RapidBus service that will allow commuters to travel all the way from Langley to Burnaby SkyTrain in 23 minutes."


A 10-lane super bridge will replace the aging Port Mann « Stephen Rees's blog

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You see, Kevin Falcon claimed a rapid bus system would get people from Langley to Burnaby skytraain in 23 minutes, this IS A MUST,  PEOPLE/DRIVERS MUST BE GIVEN AN OPTION of a RAPID BUS TO AVOID TOLLS...They were promised!!!!

The rapid bus was an integral part of the bridge proposal..

Well guess what..
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"As wheels continue to come off the TransLink bus, Vancouver’s mayors have voted to suggest cancelling transit improvements that had been planned for 2013 and 2014 until there’s a way to pay for them.

 Those improvements – a rapid bus along Highway 1 and the new Port Mann Bridge, another rapid bus down King George Boulevard in Surrey, 615,000 extra hours of service throughout the region, and some station upgrades – were meant to assure taxpayers that everyone was getting something out of TransLink’s three-year plan for expansions.

If the plans to cancel go through, the Evergreen Line – funded by a two-cent-a-litre gas tax increase that kicked in April 1 – will be the only part of the improvements package.

 That was their response to a letter earlier in the week from Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom, turning down all three suggestions the mayors had made for alternatives – a vehicle levy, another gas-tax increase, or a regional carbon tax.
The vote was not unanimous.

City of Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender said three mayors from south of the Fraser, where most of the improvements would have occurred, voted against the call to cancel."

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/bc-mayors-vote-to-cancel-translink-expansion-rather-than-hike-property-taxes/article2401239/

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Well, what a shocker, think about it, what better way to force people to drive over a tolled bridge than by canceling the PROMISED RAPID BUS over the bridge, drivers will have no choice..

I have a suggestion, cancel the over-priced evergreen line, they have many buses in Port Moody, they are near Lougheed skytrain station, there are late night, early morning and day buses all through Port Coquitlam and Port Moody whereas South of the Fraser has NOTHING..ZIPPO..NADA to get people to work in a reasonable amount of time..

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"

And the treachery gets worse..

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 Those Translink fare gates might not be so fool proof after all.
CKNW News Talk 980 (Vancouver)
Janet Brown | Email news tips to Janet
4/12/2012

Those new fare gates coming on line soon won't be completely able to keep fare evaders out.

 We've learned the new turnstiles won't be going from the floor to ceiling meaning those who really want a free ride could climb over or under.

 However, inspite of that Translink's Ken Hardie says it will be extremely tough for those determined to get in without paying up.

 Hardie said "The fact is enterprising creatures that we are there is always going to be somebody that will try and either break the system or beat it one of the things that will be a good factor is that there will be more staff on the line we're going to be hiring gate attendants to assist people."


 That, combined with the fact there will be additional staff and video monitoring, will make it tough for someone without a new compass card or ticket to get in undetected according to Hardie.
 He said "there is no one system that totally eliminates the problem but this one though is going to go a long way and it's not just for the people who try and get on the system without paying there are a lot of other aspects to fare evasion."
 The turnstiles should be up and running by next year.

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 So Translink is spending $200 million on fare-gates and Skytrain will be hiring staff to monitor the fare-gates....ARE  YOU KIDDING ME.

Why do we need $200 million in dead loss only to hire staff to monitor these gates, this is another Ken Dobell/Gordon Campbell/Kevin Falcon betrayal..

The gates will rust off well before they payback the cost of installation.

Here`s another solution, fire the $100 thousand dollar plus per year skytrain police and hire police for $60 thousand per year for fare checks....

Here`s another novel idea, scrap the fare gates and just hire $15 dollar per hour staff to monitor the entrance..Sheesh

How corrupt, no Government could be this incompetent!

The Evergreen line must be canceled, it`s too expensive, rapid bus south of the Fraser must be the priority, but I suspect that the BC Liberal Government doesn`t want rapid bus going over the Fraser for if there was several rapid bus hubs south of the Fraser..Langley..Clearbrook..Chilliwack the people would actually use the bus thus driving down toll revenue..

Something smells to high heaven here, and it all comes back to over-priced skytrain plus the BC Liberals treachery and secrecy, Gordon Campbell gave the skytrain entity the power to raise gas taxes, property taxes, parking taxes, and fare increases, all of which have been done over and over again..

The BC Liberals owe everyone south of the Fraser rapid transit options over the tolled Port Mann bridge, here`s a novel idea, corporations and business need workers, they, the corporate world can have taxes raised to fund real rapid transit....

Anything less the BC Liberals should call a general election, then a real Government can provide an answer without dipping into a cash-strapped home-owner`s pockets..

I`m also in total disgust with the Mayor`s council, they should vote to cancel the evergreen line and proceed with rapid transit south of the Fraser..

But I believe there is Skullduggery on all sides, we have useless fare-gates for $200 million being installed, fare-gates that require hiring permanent staff to monitor them, the Port Mann bridge was sold/rammed through on a promise of rapid buses south of the Fraser..

And I suspect the reason for no rapid buses it to force drivers to pay a toll, a toll that will rise every year...Look to the Golden Ears bridge, the example is set..People can`t afford tolls, that`s why they drive around..

For shame mayors, for shame by playing footsie at the taxpayer`s expense with the most corrupt and incompetent Government in BC history..

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open