Opponents call Knight Street Bridge toll a ‘cash grab’
VANCOUVER — The B.C. Trucking Association says a proposal to toll certain bridges, including the Knight Street Bridge between Vancouver and Richmond, would further burden the industry with little benefit in return.
Tolls on the bridge could be instituted as part of a new revenue-generating plan known as “road pricing,” which was included in last month’s report by the Regional Transportation Commissioner on TransLink’s 2010 10-year plan.
BCTA president Paul Landry told local media that unlike the tolled Golden Ears Bridge, which cuts routing time and saves them time and money, TransLink’s plan to make drivers and truckers pay to use the Knight Street Bridge is little more than a cash grab for the public transit-minded transportation agency.
A handful of Lower Mainland councillors also don’t like the idea of road pricing. Coun. Derek Dang of Richmond said the idea is of "grave concern."
Translink says critics are "jumping the gun," as there is no specific plan to toll the bridge right now.
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