Metro Vancouver’s proposed transit plan would mean more jobs, a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions and a better quality of life, according to a report released this week.

The study, conducted for the labour and environmental alliances Green Jobs B.C. and Blue Green Canada, found that approval of the Mayors’ Transportation and Transit Plan would bring major benefits to the Lower Mainland.

“The Mayors’ Council plan, if adopted, will create family-sustaining green jobs, reduce travel times, ease congestion and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. This plan will transform the way people get around,” said Lisa Matthaus, co-chair of Green Jobs B.C.

Voting is now underway in a referendum on a proposed 0.5 per cent Metro Vancouver Congestion Improvement Tax. If approved, the estimated annual revenue of $250-million would be used to partially fund an $8-billion, 10 year transit plan.

Among projects included in the plan are more rapid bus routes, increased SkyTrain, Canada Line, SeaBus and West Coast Express services, a new, four-lane Pattullo Bridge, rapid transit along Broadway, two new Light Rail Transit lines connecting Surrey City Centre to Guildford, Newton and Langley  and extensions of cycling and pedestrian walkway networks.

The study, written by public policy researcher and former deputy minister of transportation Blair Redlin and economist David Fairey, found that, over a decade, the plan would result in 43,800 person years in new employment, $2.96 billion in wages and $4.48 billion in GDP, while reducing projected greenhouse gas emissions by 8.2 per cent.

“Transit occupies a sweet spot for creating green jobs that reduce our environmental footprint. They are a classic green jobs generator,” says the report.

“The devastating impacts of global climate change are clearer by the day. Dependence on fossil fuels must be reduced. And we can do it by creating good green jobs that also help build a just and prosperous economy for everyone.”

Currently, more than 6,000 people in Metro Vancouver work in mass transit and the report predicts that the plan will not only create 3,600 more direct jobs in construction, operation and maintenance of vehicles, it will also make it easier for people to get to work, putting 60,000 more jobs within reach.

Investing in transit creates 10 times more jobs than investing in fossil fuel extraction, said Charley Beresford, Blue Green Canada chair.

“In the oil and gas patch in 2014, which you could argue was the peak, there were 6,200 direct B.C jobs. That’s roughly equivalent to the jobs that already exist in transit and with the Mayors’ Plan there would be a 60 per cent uptick. That gives an idea of the impact for B.C,” Beresford said.

“We’re past the argument about economy versus environment. The world is getting serious about building a green, inclusive economy and this plan is in step with that process.”

The report found that road congestion in Metro Vancouver costs $487-million a year and reduces business revenue by $591.8-million. As the population grows, the costs would almost double by 2045, but, by implementing the Mayors’ Council plan, those costs could be reduced by up to 41 per cent.

“We’ll save more than $1-billion in traffic congestion costs. The distances people drive and the costs of excess emissions will all be reduced by about one-third,” says the report.

Transportation is the top source of greenhouse gas emissions in B.C and, in order to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gases to 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020, the province is aiming to double transit ridership by 2020.

The study finds that, currently, emissions are forecast to increase to more than 5.1-million tonnes a year by 2030, but, with the Mayors’ Council plan, they will rise to 4.7-million tones – an 8.2 per cent improvement.

The plan has met with opposition from groups such as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which argues that many residents cannot afford the tax and that TransLink is a wasteful organization. When it was revealed that former CEO Ian Jarvis will be paid almost half a million dollars a year until his contract expires next year, those campaigning for a no vote gained traction.

Governance problems do need to be addressed, but voters should look at the advantages offered by the plan, Beresford said.

“These are the jobs of our future. We need this infrastructure to get around and we need it for our quality of life.”

The Mayors’ Council Transit Plan: Good Jobs Clean Skies by Langley Teachers' Association

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Congestion and gridlock are bad for business and bad for communities, finds a new study by the C.D. Howe Institute.

When people are stuck in traffic — or even faced with the prospect of being stuck — they are prevented from engaging with their community and this means less face-to-face interaction and less resulting economic benefits, the study finds.

“When congestion causes people to not travel it stifles the key benefits of living in a city: learning face-to-face, finding better jobs and sharing services of infrastructure,” report author Benjamin Dachis writes.

“On top of congestion due to slower travel, these wider, hidden costs of congestion are between $500 million and $1.2 billion per year for the Metro Vancouver area.”

The study, written in collaboration with Clean Energy Canada and the B.C. Real Estate Foundation, finds the economic benefits of a ‘yes’ vote in the upcoming transit referendum outweigh the cost of the new tax associated with the Mayors’ Council plan.

The plan includes a new 0.5-per-cent sales tax called the Metro Vancouver Congestion Tax. Funds from the tax would enable a 10-year transit overhaul which includes major service increases and extended routes to all transit systems, extending the Skytrain line to Langley, rebuilding the Pattullo bridge and rapid transit for the Broadway corridor.

A province-wide mail-in vote will take place over a ten-week period from March 16 to May 29.

The Better Transit and Transportation argues the plan will cut congestion by 20 per cent, shorten commute times by up to 30 minutes each day and provide 70 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents with more frequent transit service.

The coalition represents more than 90 organizations, including the Vancouver Board of Trade, Unifor and the David Suzuki Foundation, and calls itself the largest and most diverse coalition in B.C.’s history.

“People from all walks of life know that we cannot afford to stand by as congestion worsens throughout the region,” Vancouver Board of Trade president and CEO Iain Black recently said. “Gridlock is costing our economy dearly and we must dramatically improve the movement of goods, services and people if we want to remain competitive.”

Although nearly all local municipal leaders support the Mayors’ Council Plan, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been a vocal critic of the plan. Jordan Bateman, spokesman for the federation, was recently called TransLink’s “biggest hater” in The Tyee for his leadership role in the ‘no’ campaign.

Gordon Price, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, told The Tyee Bateman’s strategy is a “great dupe” designed to leverage public acrimony towards TransLink in his effort to secure a ‘no’ vote.

“It’s the brilliance of Bateman’s meme,” Price told The Tyee. “How do you get people, even a bus rider, to vote against their best interests?”

Bateman has been highly successful in stirring up the TransLink controversy by calling attention to the transportation provider’s internal scandals.

Supporters of the ‘yes’ campaign have argued that a vote for better transit should not be mistaken as a vote for TransLink.

“A small group of people want you to believe the referendum is your opportunity to voice concerns over how TransLink is governed,” writes Steve Kux, communications and research specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation. “That is not accurate.”

Instead, Kux argues, the vote is for “specific transportation improvements.” He adds that financing for those improvements will be reviewed by independent, third-party auditors to “ensure that the money goes to these improvements, not into TransLink in general.”

The new study from the C.D. Howe Institute cuts through the anti-tax criticism of the plan by highlighting the cost neutrality of the tax, given the relationship between mobility and wealth generation.   

“Cities generate connections, connections generate ideas, and ideas generate business — and smooth-flowing transportation makes it all happen,” said Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada.

“Metro Vancouver is a thriving multicultural metropolis, and needs a transit system to match,” Smith added. “This research shows that the Mayors’ Council proposal creates financial and personal benefits that enrich everyone. Investing in transportation is good for drivers, cyclists and transit users alike.”

Image Credit: Valentina via Flickr

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