It comes as no surprise to penny-pinching drivers that tolling the Port Mann Bridge while leaving other Fraser River crossing options free would result in a wholesale desertion of the new bridge.
While it seems counterintuitive - and, in many cases, it's patently illogical - to drive well out of your way to save $3 a trip, for most people, that's a hefty chunk of cash on a monthly basis. In fact, thousands of people who do cross aren't even paying the toll, racking up hundreds or thousands of dollars in debt, and forcing ICBC to be a sort of toll nanny.
Short of moving closer to work to avoid bridge tolls, commuters will simply opt for other routes, taking the aging Pattullo, for instance.
Now the Port Mann's operator, TI Corp., is considering a loyalty program to boost bridge traffic, but that's just a Band-Aid effort. Until a regional road-pricing scheme can be developed so more people share the burden at a cheaper cost, the Port Mann Bridge will continue to bleed drivers.
