Attention new minister of transportation: invest in transit, not asphalt, to drive economic growth

Open letter to B.C.’s minister of transportation:

At the time I write this, I don’t know who you are, what party you’re with, where you’re from or what your experience is. The voters and the next premier have yet to decide.

But from what I’ve heard so far, all the parties pretty much see transportation the same way: as a “Class B” political issue. Important, yes, but not in the first tier of concerns like health care or pipelines.

The danger is that political masters, regardless of party, eventually become captive of their servants in the Ministry of Transportation, which, regardless of name, is mostly seen as a delivery system for roads, bridges and tunnels.

“Transit,” on the other hand, is an issue that’s not nearly as much fun and not provincial in scope, seen mainly as something to fight over in the urban centres. So roads and bridges = investments with allocated budgets. Transit? More like a social service needing subsidies and new taxes.

It’s time to change that way of thinking. We’re heading into a different world – at least the next generation is. And if you, Minister, want to be seen as a leader, not a second-tier follower, here are a few things you might want to consider if you’d like to lead that next generation into that different world.

•We might have enough roads.

Yes, British Columbia builds some of the greatest roads and bridges in the world; it’s in our blood – and our budgets. But when every new addition takes billions to build, it might not all be necessary, or affordable, or needed. Because…

•Driving is changing.

The kids are certainly changing how they get around. Older people are getting by with one car. Technology and car sharing are making car-ownership optional, and technology is changing the logistics of goods movement. So there are fewer cars driving where they used to. Downtown Vancouver, for instance, is back to 1965 traffic levels. Toll bridges and tunnels aren’t getting the traffic expected. Consequently…

•We might not have enough money.

Don’t expect the revenue based on flawed growth models and declining gas taxes to cover the debt you’re expected to incur for big-buck road infrastructure. Don’t even expect the private-sector to be as enthusiastic about P3 projects unless there’s a guaranteed cash flow – usually called a tax.

Anyway, if you’re concerned about investments and jobs, you have a choice.

•Transit is the new growth engine.

Two words: Canada Line. Or three words, these by (Rennie Marketing Systems principal) Bob Rennie: “It’s no longer location, location, location [when it comes to real-estate opportunities]. It’s transit, transit, transit.”

If you want to unleash a development growth machine to generate revenue for government, go for more transit lines. And move fast, because there’s not a lot of time…

•The future of our urban regions and farmlands are at stake.

Previous governments, federal and provincial, committed themselves to a generation’s worth of road expansion in the Lower Mainland to serve the port. Now those roads and bridges will shape how we develop, and if we do nothing else, that growth will be in the form of sprawl, putting immense pressure on our agricultural lands.

If you just build more tunnels and roads south of the Fraser, the message will be clear: goodbye to big pieces of the ALR. Which is going to upset a lot of people, and you’ll have a big ugly fight on your hands.

Better instead to …

•Lead a new coalition.

Developers, unions, investors – they all back more transit. So do mayors and business leaders and community advocates. Of course, there’s division about how to pay and who goes first. But there is just as much prospect for leadership and legacy.

Ministers and premiers from all governing parties have had a regrettable habit of leading local leaders along – and then saying no to any new funding initiative at the last moment. This is your chance to lead.

Bring transit and roads together in your vision and in your budgets. Commit to a transportation strategy that reinforces the success of our regional plans and offers opportunities for jobs and growth while keeping pressure off our green spaces. Give people transportation choices that don’t assume an endless supply of cheap oil (back to those pipelines again).

And give the next generation a vision that addresses their realities and concerns while offering hope for a better future. That’s something B.C. has always been good at. We just don’t need to lay more asphalt to get there. •

Gordon Price ([email protected]) is the director of Simon Fraser University’s city program and a former Vancouver city councillor. His column appears monthly.