Can road pricing in Metro Vancouver succeed where transit referendum failed?

If you live in Metro Vancouver and think about transportation, you're going to be hearing a lot about theMobility Pricing Independent Commission in the next few months.

Createdthis summer byTransLink, the commission is responsible for coming up with recommendations on how to implementmobility pricing.

TransLinkdescribes this as "the suite of fees and charges for using everyday transportation services. These include things like transit fares, bridge tolls, road usage charges."

In short, paying money to drive in areas currently packed with cars.

And it was right in the commission's first press release: their"work will focus on decongestion charging, which is one form of mobility pricing, and refers to a range of fees that can be charged for everyday use of the transportation system, such as distance or time-based fees, congestion fees or tolls."

• Metro Vancouver's mobility pricing commission starts consultations

The last time there was a big debate in Metro Vancouver on the future of funding transportation the 2015 transit referendum, where voters rejected a 0.5 per increase on the sales tax it went very badly for those pushing for change.

However, at the commission's first media event on Wednesday, there wasn't much on the changes that could happen this time around.

"We want to have an open mind at the start," said AllanSeckel, chair of the commission, explaining why there were no firm proposals on the table at this point.

"We want to hear fromthe public on these issues," Seckelsaid at another point. "We're taking the first step."

The commission also had awebsitethat until Wednesday was calledmobilitypricing.ca.

Now, that page redirects toitstimemv.ca a page where the word "congestion" appears four times, and "mobility pricing" just once, in reference to the committee's name.

Easing into the conversation

But there may be a good reason why the commission has decided to avoid talking about costs and proposals at this early stage.

Members of the commission aren't politicians, but they're keenly aware of how the 2015 transit referendum failed. After months of mostly private discussions, local politicianspresented a plan where everyone in Metro Vancouver would pay more through thetaxhike for public transit they didn't necessarily use.

Then they tried to sell it to a public who wondered what was in it for them.

This process is about an arms-length commission, not elected politicians. It's using language of reducing congestion, not spending money on new megaprojects.

In short, the opposite of the transit referendum. By design.

"That's the reason we're launching it on this process, of seeking public input now," saidSeckel.

"Rather than coming to them with a conclusion and saying what do you think,we're seeking the views of the public: what are their concerns?What are their interests? Where is congestion a problem?"

Another way this isn't like the ill-fated transit referendum: there may not be a referendum. TransLink is keen to see mobility pricing in play, the Mayors' Council has endorsed the concept, and the provincial government has said it wantsto work with the council on what it comes up with.

More fees, or revenue neutral?

So is road pricing a fait accompli?

Theprovincial government could reject the commission's findings, or refer it to a referendum, if there's anger over the final proposals.

The big question will likely bewhether new mobility fees create a de facto new tax, or whether they'll be balanced by reductions in fuel taxes and transit fares.

"It could just be a redistribution of how we pay today in order to affect congestion. We're open to that possibility. We're not necessarily looking at this as an addition," said Seckel.

His comments came minutes after Joy MacPhail, vice-chair of the commission, spoke glowingly of the system in London, where commuters pay around $20 Cdnevery day they travel into the centre of the U.K. metropolis.

"Much of the collected revenue, in fact all of it, was put into public transit. People had options ...they could get around with different methods that do work extremely well. That's a great model," MacPhailsaid.

So, there are decisions to be made. But Seckel says politicians not the commission will decide if a new mobility pricing system will cost more money for people in Metro Vancouver.

And the time for that?

Check back in a few months.