Editor, The News:
Re: Tolls discounted on Golden Ears Bridge (The News, April 6).
As I read the paper and, more importantly, the stories of the Golden Ears Bridge and transit and how TransLink is finding more ways pick our pockets, it is now abundantly clear that TransLink should be history before we are taxed out of our cars and homes.
Since its creation by the NDP Glen Clark government, it has never had a stable source of funding by the provincial government to operate a complicated system of transit, roads and bridges.
The provincial government should bring transit back into the Crown Corporation of B.C. Transit, that’s if the new Liberal government wants to save us some tax dollars. Imagine no property tax assessment, no parking tax, and we could have the same gas pump price as Silverdale.
Prior to TransLink, B.C. Transit operated the system without raising gas taxes, property tax and every other tax it can think of, and we didn’t have local politicians battling over who gets what and when.
We also did not have mayors, namely the Delta mayor, wanting to complicate the system even more by wanting their own transit system due to claims that they’re not getting their fair share of services.
TransLink, with its board of directors, local politicians and the provincial government all having different opinions on what services to provide, is costing us millions of dollars in waste and constant delays.
We cannot afford any more decisions and dreams by TransLink, and the only way seems to be the B.C. Transit way.
In Victoria and all over this province, B.C. Transit provides cost effective service and one person at the top, making the decisions on how to properly fund and operate the system.
Greg Smith
Maple Ridge
