Almost a third of drivers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley will do their best to avoid crossing the Port Mann Bridge after the full toll kicks in next year, according to a new poll.

The Insights West survey found once the introductory $1.50 toll bumps up to $3 on Jan. 1, a full 31 per cent of motorists will actively seek out different routes.

Another 23 per cent said they would cross the bridge less often, while 36 per cent said they would continue using the bridge as usual.

Insights vice-president Mario Canseco said the public has had an emotional response to the toll imposed when the new Port Mann opened last year.

“This is really uncharted waters for us. We’re not really used to having to pay for our own roads,” Canseco said.

Even before the toll increase hits, statistics obtained by CTV News show that traffic on the bridge has dipped significantly compared to two years ago.

Monthly traffic volumes from June to November were consistently lower, by between six and 13 per cent, than during the same period in 2011.

Politicians in New Westminster blame the Port Mann toll for a 16 per cent spike in traffic on the Pattullo Bridge, and the accompanying traffic congestion running through their community.

Councillor Jonathan Cote said B.C.’s “haphazard tolling policy” needs to be reassessed.

“You have some large tolls on a couple bridges and then have other crossings that don’t have the tolls,” he said.

Cote believes the problem could be levelled out by reducing Port Mann tolls and imposing a toll on the Pattullo.

“Putting a small toll on the Pattullo Bridge would actually lead to a better outcome and have traffic go where it should, which is the highway system.”

The Transportation Investment Corporation said it’s on track to meet its financial obligations and doesn’t plan to offer discounts or incentives to attract drivers.

Transportation Minister Todd Stone told CTV News he wasn’t available to comment, but issued a statement saying the government expects traffic volumes to grow in the coming years.

“With construction, the introduction of tolling, it’s not unusual for it to take time for drivers to try out new routes and adjust to the changes,” Stone said.

The Insights West poll was conducted online from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3 among 690 Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley adults.

It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Mi-Jung Lee