Editor:
Re: John Gleeson’s Jan. 29 editorial, “One more fixed link study to go.”
The province looked into the feasibility of a road from Port Mellon to Squamish back in 2001. It estimated the cost at $1 billion at that time.
Our ferry will cost that much to operate over the next 20 years alone. Plus, there is upwards of $500 million in upgrades necessary in that same time. Then we can spend another $1-billion-plus the following 20 years, and so on, and so on.
Yes, the costs of the ferry are offset by the fares, just as a fixed link’s costs would be offset by tolls. What Mr. Gleeson fails to consider in his economic assessment is that a fixed link, with tolls set in $20 to $50 range, will have the capital cost paid for in a 20- to 30-year period, leaving only annual maintenance expenses (far less than annual operating expenses of a ferry).
So, over 100 years, our ferry route will cost nearly $6 billion, supported by ever increasing fares ($100 return for car/driver is not inconceivable in the near future), while a fixed link would be paid for entirely within less than half that time, and even have the tolls removed (if so desired).
Additionally, Mr. Gleeson fails to recognize what is obvious to more than 80 per cent of the 990 people who took our survey – the ferry is a massive impediment to the economic viability of our region. The inability for goods and people to come and go on their own schedule is a problem, and one that is easily remedied with a fixed link.
Ryan Medd, Sunshine Coast Fixed Link, www.sunshinecoastfixedlink.com
