Hot Wheels Falcon Rides Again

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon wants to take apart Translink, and has no inclination to put it back together again. Falcon has appointed a three member panel to investigate Translink operations, with the findings to certainly come back as legislation within a few months.

Why are Falcon and the Liberals looking to blow up Translink now? They weren't concerned when the Translink board shut down bus service for six months in 2001 because they wanted to hardball CAW Local 111. Did they care that transit fares rose steadily over the past few years so that a return trip from Vancouver to Surrey now costs $8.00? What concerns Falcon is that the Translink Board of Directors almost shut down the Liberals' last pet project, the RAV Line, and they are loathe to see it happen again to their prized concoction of congestion and sprawl, The Gateway Project. Also, Translink passed a $20 million parking tax this week that no doubt upsets Liberal cheerleaders in the business community, particularly your local Deathmobile dealers.

Falcon comes off as an Idiot Manchild if he really believes that a privatized board along the lines of an airport authourity is more accountable than a board made up of elected officials from across the Lower Mainland. The only thing more accountable would be to directly elect the board instead of having them appointed from their respective municipal councils. Unfortunately, democracy doesn't serve Falcon's interest, which appears to be putting as many shiny cars on the road as possible, with no one having to pay the true environmental and social costs of driving them. Perhaps its time to tell little Kevin to stop throwing tantrums, take away his Hot Wheels set, and give him a serious time out.