FUNDING public transportation is the Lower Mainland's own version of the Gordian Knot, and it's a rare municipal or provincial politician willing to risk their career on slicing it apart. Shame on them.
The options are no mystery. We could hike up property taxes, we could toll our bridges and other major routes, we could levy every ICBC customer, or we could raise taxes on gasoline. Increasing fares does seem counterproductive in terms of reducing gridlock.
Depending on where you live, how much your home is worth, what kind of car you drive and what your commute looks like, one or more of these options turns into a really good reason to vote someone out of office.
Compounding this problem is an extremely vulnerable premier who thinks economic populism might be a way out of the hole she and her predecessor have dug.
Public transportation is a societal good. Ride the bus or SeaBus to the North Shore a couple times and you'll see that they are packed with folks that work in North Shore businesses but can't afford to live here. Moving workers around our region is imperative for the economic health of every one of us, whether we drive or not.
This newspaper doesn't pretend to know exactly how transit ought to be funded. The solution is likely one where the pain is spread around and everyone is equally angry.
But trying to ignore the fact that transit costs money is a terrible disservice to everyone who has to go to work in the morning.
