Ben West, West Coast Wilderness Committee Staff
Confidential documents reveal BC government did not consider rising oil prices for multi-billion dollar transportation project
Gateways feasibility was based on gas prices of $0.80/litre!
Vancouver, BC – Freedom of Information documents provided to the Wilderness Committee revealed that BC government officials failed to take into account rapidly rising fuel costs when they were establishing the feasibility of the proposed multi-billion dollar Gateway Project to expand highways, bridges and port facilities around Metro Vancouver.
Transportation experts anticipate that rapidly increasing fuel prices will reduce personal vehicle use and increase the demand for public transportation. The BC governments analysis of the Gateway Projects and gas prices was based on a forecast of gas at $0.80/Litre, but gas in Metro Vancouver is currently selling at around $1.30/Litre, and is projected to rise. The BC governments modeling is based on a 2003 Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) study entitled “Driving Costs” which explores overall operating expenses of vehicles.
“We are disturbed to see that the traffic modeling was based on such out of date figures. At best these projections are shortsighted; at worst they are could be construed as an attempt to justify spending billions of public dollars on a project that will not serve the publics interest,” said Ben West, Wilderness Committee Healthy Communities Campaigner.
