Port Mann traffic volumes down as much as 13 per cent

Declining traffic on the Port Mann Bridge has critics questioning whether the 10-lane crossing was built bigger than necessary.

Monthly traffic volumes obtained by CTV News show crossings from June to November were consistently lower than they were over the same six-month period in 2011, when the Port Mann had five fewer lanes.

Drops ranged from six per cent in August to 13 per cent in June, when trips plummeted from 3.5 million to 3.05 million.

Transportation Investment Corporation spokesman Greg Johnson said there have been bright spots since the new bridge opened last December, including an increase in rush hour crossings.

“Morning westbound traffic is up 15-20 per cent,” Johnson said in an email statement. “These drivers are saving a considerable amount of time each morning and this clearly shows the strong relationship between time savings and traffic volumes.”

But many motorists, including Surrey resident Allan Padgham, care more about avoiding tolls than they do about saving time.

Padgham lives about five minutes from the Port Mann, but got fed up after racking up a $40 bill over the summer.

“I freaked. I phoned to make sure it was right,” he said. “Since then, over to the Pattullo. Haven’t been looking back since.”

Since the new Port Mann opened, Pattullo Bridge traffic is up 16 per cent. New Westminster councillor Jonathan Cote said the costly bridge upgrade has simply shifted congestion into his community.

He said there’s a possible solution, but it’s one Pattullo users might not like.

“Reducing the tolls on the Port Mann and putting a small toll on the Pattullo Bridge would actually lead to a better outcome and have traffic go where it should, which is the highway system,” Cote said.

Experts don’t think tolling is the only problem. Simon Fraser University urban planning professor Anthony Perl said the bridge was built too big, and projections for increasing traffic were simply off the mark.

“The trend is down. We’re past the point where everyone is going to drive everywhere all the time, and that’s what that bridge was built for. That’s why it’s 10 lanes wide,” Perl said.

Transportation Investment Corporation insists it’s on track to meet its financial obligations and isn’t worried about declining traffic. It has until 2050 to pay for the bridge.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Mi-Jung Lee