Metro Vancouver will examine mobility pricing with the official launch of the Mobility Pricing Independent Commission.
“Mobility pricing is a key pillar of the Mayors’ Council’s 10-Year Vision that could fix Metro Vancouver’s unfair user pricing regime, significantly reduce congestion, and deliver fair and stable funding for our transit and transportation network,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson.
TransLink’s board of directors and the Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation announced the chair and vice-chair of the Commission in June.
The committee chair will be Allan Seckel, a former deputy minister and head of the BC Public Service for the Province of British Columbia and the current CEO of Doctors of B.C.
Joy MacPhail will serve as the commission’s vice-chair. MacPhail was a member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for 14 years and served as the head of the opposition for four years.
The commission will examine how pricing could potentially solve key transportation challenges in the Metro Vancouver region. The objectives are to reduce traffic congestion on roads and bridges across the region; promote fairness around bridge tolling and support transportation investment.
“It’s crucial that people are able to move efficiently and affordably around our growing region using the route, time and mode that works best for them and for the transportation network overall. I look forward to hearing the Independent Commission’s recommendations on a made-in-Metro Vancouver mobility pricing system that will work for everyone,” said Robertson.
Different approaches to pricing have been successfully applied in a number of jurisdictions around the world, such as Stockholm, Singapore and Oregon. The Independent Commission will examine a variety of models — from minor tweaks of the existing system to a broad reimagining. The Commission is invited to rethink all approaches and explore new ways of doing things that are fair and make the transportation system work better everyone.
A small expert staff team, supported by technical consultants, will support the research, analysis and public engagement. This team will be led by internationally-recognized mobility pricing expert, Daniel Firth, who has been appointed executive director.
The Commission will deliver recommendations to the TransLink Board and the Mayors’ Council by Spring 2018.
