Rob's Ramblings

Transtoll Inc., The Macquarie Group, Flatiron Construction Corp., Kiewit Corporation, I am writing to ask that you cancel your participation in the Metro Vancouver (Canada) “Gateway Program” as it is currently planned. Instead you should negotiate with the public and provincial government to create a new program that is environmentally sustainable and financial viable. Highway expansion does not fit these criteria. Here are a few reasons to withdraw from the Gateway Program: 1. Reduced revenues as a result of carbon reduction programs. Programs like BC's carbon tax are designed to encourage people to drive less. Fewer vehicle trips means less revenues for the private partner. 2. Reduced revenues as a result of peak oil. We are already seeing people reducing their vehicle trips as a result of recent spikes in gasoline prices. As the price of a finite resources increases we will see further reductions in potential revenues. 3. Increased costs. Rising oil prices also me...

I would like thank you for setting a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia by 33 per cent by 2020. This is an important step (although the science seems to indicate that we must reduce emissions even more quickly – 90% by 2030 1 ). As well, I thank you for introducing a carbon tax that is also small step towards reaching that goal. In planning to meet these goals it would make sense to tackle the largest contributions to greenhouse gas emissions first. As you may know here in the Lower Mainland the largest source of green house gas emissions is light vehicles. If we are going to meet the targets you have set out we will have to dramatically reduce the amount of single-occupancy vehicles (SOV) trips and replace those with trips on public transit (preferably electric powered). The mainstream available technology for light vehicles, such as hybrid propulsion, will not make enough of a difference to meet your targets even if the majority of car users purchase...