MOTION ON NOTICE

At the Council meeting of October 16, 2001, Councillor Louis submitted the following Notice of Motion which was recognized by the Chair:

MOVER: Councillor Louis
SECONDER: Councillor Bass

WHEREAS the Livable Region Strategic Plan of the Greater Vancouver Regional District supports (page 8) in its transportation objective: "the increased use of public transit and reduced dependence on the single-occupant automobile..[and this] relies upon...significant expansion in transit facilities and services";

AND WHEREAS, despite a 17 per cent increase in fares in June 2000 and promises by TransLink they would get more services, transit users are now faced with cuts to the night owl service, cancellation of new bus orders and termination of several bus routes;

AND WHEREAS, TransLink is proposing another 14 per cent increase in transit fares in 2002, a year ahead of the schedule originally proposed in TransLink's Strategic Transportation Plan 2000-2005;

AND WHEREAS, if the newest fare increase is approved, a public transit user who makes 16 one-zone, round-trips per month will now be paying an additional $192 annually since TransLink assumed control of the transit system in 1998 - a far greater contribution towards financing TransLink than the proposed $30-60 per year gas tax or the $22 per year property tax;

AND WHEREAS, raising transit fares would inhibit transit use, rather than promote it;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, Vancouver City Council calls upon TransLink to reject any future increases in transit fares before 2003.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver