SPEC News Release

Port Mann Environmental Assessment is a Joke

April 01, 2008
Ministers to Receive ‘Joke’ Environmental Assessment on April Fools Day:

Port Mann / Highway 1 Expansion Pollution No Joke Says Environmental Groups

For Immediate Release

April 1, 2008

Vancouver - Today the Minister of Environment Barry Penner and Minister of Community Services Ida Chong will receive a report from the Provincial Environmental Assessment Office on the twinning of the Port Mann Bridge and expansion of Highway 1. The ministers then have 45 days to require further study, or decide to reject or approve the project. The federal portion of the process is still underway.

“The provincial environmental assessment is a bad joke” said Stephen Rees, Independent Transport Economist “The province claims that induced traffic and induced sprawl don’t exist. It doesn't even address the most basic questions asked by people in regards to transportation, namely 'Where will I live?' - which makes the entire environmental assessment useless, as far as I can see.”

When the Alex Fraser Bridge was being considered in the mid 1980's traffic planners expected only a 2 percent increase in traffic which was in line with population projections. As it turns out, traffic volumes are 41 percent higher and the additional road capacity eaten up primarily due to new development brought on by the new bridge.

“The most ridiculous things about the province’s assessment it that it ignores the provincial commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 33 percent by 2020, and it does not look shifting the Gateway billions to transit.” said Eric Doherty, SPEC Transportation Chair. “There is no way that the province can meet their global warming commitments if they spend billions on the Gateway freeway expansion and short change transit. Minister Penner must require a credible study on how Gateway spending would affect his government’s greenhouse gas commitments.”

Environment Canada and Health Canada have been very critical of the misleading statements in Gateway environmental assessment studies. Environment Canada stated that: “A review of the sizeable scientific literature suggests that new highway capacity generally encourages more vehicle kilometres travelled, influences land-use planning, enables car-dependent lifestyles and decisions, and induces traffic for vehicle trips that would otherwise not occur. These factors can contribute a significant volume of traffic beyond business-as-usual growth projections.” Health Canada blasted the province over their air pollution study, stating that “the misdirected focus of this assessment is inappropriate and may be misleading to the general reader.”

Previously Minister Chong and other ministers have claimed that roadway expansion reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Most experts consider these claims the height of silliness.

“Any environmental assessment of any use requires comparing the environmental effects of a $4 billion package of transit and efficient goods movement solutions to the proposed $4 billion freeway expansion,” said David Fields. “The Gateway Project is a remnant of an outmoded way of thinking yet the provincial government clings to it and arrogantly ignores the fact that not a single example exists of such a project reducing congestion or emissions. What we will get is more traffic and with it accelerating global warming, more smog and more kids with asthma. That’s no joke.”

Federal agencies have not yet clarified when their Port Mann / Highway 1 environmental assessment is likely to be complete.

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For more information, please contact:
David Fields, LRC Coordinator, 604-722-4775 (cell)
Eric Doherty, SPEC Director, 604-877-1223
Stephen Rees, Independent Transport Economist, 604-295-4953