Whomever wrote that article on Jan. 28, I disagree with you with extreme prejudice. You act like we had a choice, we did not. You say the tolls were debated, yes, by politicians who make $100,000 a year and will never pay a toll.
That toll is a bloody joke, the hardship it produces financially is inexcusable.
Once again, our fat cat leaders who couldn’t manage a paper route, forced upon us a tolled bridge, and this is on top of all the taxes, levies, carbon this, greenhouse gas taxes we pay, as well as a gas taxes that the government puts into general revenue.
That toll hits the average Joe right where it hurts: in the pocketbook.
We are already overworked, under paid, overtaxed, pay too much for gas and food, live in the most expensive area in Canada, and due to again, our government not having housing ownership laws, we have outsiders buying up our real estate at an alarming rate and forcing ownership costs to “unobtanium,” so we have to buy further away from work, thus having to cross the bridge everyday.
Consider this, the average worker probably crosses that bridge around 250 times a year, that’s $1,500 and not sure if tax applies? That’s highway robbery and that’s no laughing matter. Not sure about you or me but I didn’t get a $1,500 raise so where does that money come from? If you must toll, use some common sense and charge $1.
Once more thing: how did the provincial government get a federal highway tolled? You can travel Route 1 all across Canada yet the only toll is the most expensive city in Canada, go figure.
While we are on that subject, why didn’t the Sea to Sky have a toll? Oh yeah, the rich want to travel from Vancouver to Whistler free of charge.
Last thing, who made ICBC god? They have no right to be stopping drivers from driving for not paying tolls and other payments. They already have too much power. It’s time to bring back competition. I didn’t realize how bad they are until a friend of mine with a 16 year old told me how much her insurance is, I damn near fainted. She has to pay $250 a month and can only get a maximum of three months? Sorry, but something is wrong here.
Simon Field, Abbotsford