NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS1130) – Politicians in New Westminster say it’s getting worse by the day; the City warns truck traffic on the Pattullo Bridge will continue to rise unless tolls are reduced on the Port Mann.

Last night, New Westminster’s council agreed to formally ask the provincial government to lower tolls on the Port Mann after a city report suggested heavy truck traffic on Royal Avenue, McBride Boulevard, and the Pattullo Bridge is up 10 per cent since the tolls were brought in.

The mayor and council have been very vocal about this topic for some time; they feel drivers are heading for the free alternatives and the increased truck traffic is a safety concern on the aging and crowded Pattullo.

Drivers we spoke with along McBride this morning agree with the idea of lowering tolls.

“Since they put the toll on the other bridge, it’s been just brutal,” says one man. “I think dropping the toll [for trucks on the Port Mann] would be a great idea. I think they’d have much more options and they’d probably take it because they’d save more money.”

“I’m sure they’d make it up in volume because I’m sure thousands less people are using that bridge every day directly because of the toll.”

But TI Corp, which oversees the Port Mann, says truck traffic is also up on that bridge since tolls kicked in last December. It tells the Vancouver Sun they are reviewing the rates and potential discounts for all customers, including trucks.