The Mayor of New Westminster is calling for action to curb the increasing number of trucks passing through his city to use the aging Pattullo Bridge.
Mayor Wayne Wright suggested the spike in trucker traffic, which he blames on the toll imposed last year on the Port Mann Bridge, is unsafe given the 76-year-old bridge’s condition.
“It’s not the strongest physical bridge in the world and needs all these upgrades,” Wright said. “With that respect, why should trucks even be there in the first place?”
There was a 10 per cent increase in trucker traffic on the Pattullo between fall 2012 and summer 2013, according to TransLink data, and New Westminster recorded a drastic increase in truck traffic on its own streets during the same period.
On Monday, city council voted to ask the B.C. Ministry of Transportation for an immediate decrease on the Port Mann truck toll, which currently stands at $9 per crossing.
“We’re going to be suggesting that they maybe make the tolls less for trucks on the Port Man, get them back over there,” Wright said.
If that fails, the city is recommending that TransLink ban large trucks from the Pattullo Bridge altogether.
Louise Yako of the B.C. Trucking Association said it’s not clear how much the Port Mann toll impacts trucking company routes, but acknowledged it may be a motivating factor for some.
“There may be owner-operators who may be choosing the Pattullo Bridge in order to save on the tolls,” she said.
Yako said the association would welcome any additional incentives to make the Port Mann a more attractive alternative.
The Transportation Investment Corporation that oversees tolling on the Port Mann said truck traffic on that crossing has also increased over the last year.
The company said it would be deciding on any potential changes to tolls or discounts soon.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Maria Weisgarber
