We're paying through the nose for gas and soon we'll be paying more when the carbon tax jumps a penny on July 1 (and another next year). The idea is to make driving less palatable and encourage people to switch modes of transportation.
The problem is that there aren't a lot of alternatives. Rapid transit to the Tri-Cities is on hold for lack of money and the idea of giving TransLink some of the $1.26 billion in carbon taxes is just that - an idea.
Premier Christy Clark has stated she's ready to consider using the carbon tax to support regional transit initiatives instead of just corporate or personal tax cuts but there's no word how and, most importantly, when this could be done.
Meanwhile, the long-awaited Evergreen Line is on hold and other TransLink priorities affecting the Tri-Cities are in limbo, including the United Boulevard Extension and the Murray-Clarke Connector.
It's enough to make you want to take a ride on TransLink's other proposed project - the gondola to SFU - just to get some fresh air.
What do you think?Should carbon taxes pay for more buses and rapid transitinstead of funding tax cuts?Vote in our online poll (scroll down, question is on left side).
