Pay one way or pay another.
That's Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart's warning to people who will either vote No or refuse to cast a ballot in the upcoming transit referendum.
Stewart says the $7.5 billion in projects proposed by the mayors' council to be paid for with an additional 0.5% tacked on to the provincial sales tax in Metro Vancouver are "vital" to the under-serviced suburbs.
"Burke Mountain all by itself is really important, it's a critical gap," he said. "We've designed a transit-oriented neighbourhood that doesn't have transit."
He said voting to spite TransLink is not the answer and he agrees that reform of the transit authority is needed but "rejecting this investment plan won't be punishing TransLink, it will be punishing ourselves."
To his way of thinking, voters can either vote Yes to pay the extra sales tax for improved transit - such as buses to the Evergreen Line, more B-Line service and West Coast Express trains - to take the pressure off roads or they'll pay in higher property taxes down the road when the city has to expand its road infrastructure to accommodate increases in traffic to minimize gridlock.
"You often hear from people the idea of a none-of-the-above option," Stewart said. "And I need our residents to know there isn't a none-of-the-above option to the referendum.
"The city will have to invest millions widening roads to accommodate traffic Either way, it's going to be an impact on people's wallets."
And it's not just transit users who need improved service, Stewart said, countering polls that suggest drivers are the least likely to vote Yes.
There will be money in the plan to maintain and upgrade TransLink's Major Road Network to keep people and goods moving, and, if more people opt for transit over their auto, freeing up space on clogged arterial routes, those who need their cars will get to their destinations more quickly, he said.
"Our goal is to get you out of your car or the person in front of you out of their car."
