Once again, the taxpayers of Langley are being asked to pay more for a service that about 95 per cent of them do not or cannot use.
TransLink plans to boost gas taxes by two cents, to 17 cents a litre, to help pay for the Evergreen Line rapid transit line in Coquitlam. Yes, a small portion of that gas tax will go to improvements in the South Fraser area, such as the possible introduction of a bus service between Langley and White Rock that has been promised for years. I’ll believe it when I see it.
I heard about this gas tax boost while I was on vacation in Alberta last week. Ironically, the day I heard about it, I had taken a trip on the Edmonton LRT line, just after filling up my vehicle at a gas station next to one of the stations. I paid $1.06 per litre.
In Edmonton, there is no gas tax to pay for transit. Transit fares are lower too. The city runs the transit system. In all of the parts of Alberta I travelled through, the highest price I saw for gas was $1.14 per litre.
Here in the Metro Vancouver area, we have a transit system that is constantly asking for more money from taxpayers. Property taxes for transit paid by Langley property owners are often $200 to $300. We pay 15 cents per litre of gas. We pay a toll to TransLink every time we use the Golden Ears Bridge. And more taxes are on the way — likely a car tax, which will really hit Langley drivers hard, as they must own cars when there is almost no chance of using transit to get to school, work or shopping.
In many parts of Langley, there is no transit service at all. Everywhere east of Murrayville, transit service is so sporadic that it is completely unreliable as a means of getting around.
Even in the more populated parts of Langley, transit service is a far cry from that offered in Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond. Almost no one uses transit for a shopping trip — it simply doesn’t go to the right places in decent time.
Transit use has improved slightly in Langley since some bus services, notably the 502, started running later at night and on 15-minute headways during the day. The fact that the 502 connects directly to SkyTrain is a key factor. The 595 service, which connects Langley to Maple Ridge, is also a welcome addition and bus service from Walnut Grove has also improved.
Nonetheless, there is no way TransLink can honestly justify charging Langley drivers 17 cents per litre in gas tax, plus all the other TransLink taxes and fees, for the minimal service here.
If there is to be an added gas tax, it should only apply in areas with comprehensive transit service. That would be Vancouver, Burnaby. New Westminster, Richmond and perhaps the North Shore.
While that might cause some drivers in those areas to go farther to get cheaper gas, that is already happening today. That’s why many drivers in Langley go to Abbotsford or the U.S. to fill up.
TransLink needs to have access to far more sources of revenue than it does today. Drivers are paying too much towards transit, while some of those who benefit the most (people in downtown apartments without cars, for example) pay very little towards the transit system. Their fares are also half of what most Langley bus riders pay.
Taxes must be fair, and not lower for those who benefit the most.
