The new Translink savings found in a provincial government audit are not carved in stone according to the chair of the mayors council.
Richard Walton says cutting service to create savings is simply not ideal.
“Eleven million dollars worth of savings from decreasing routes that aren’t full and very often those are on weekends and late at night and there is a lot people who are very reliant on those services even though there are very few people on buses so you can always find efficiencies by cutting those routes but it doesn’t mean that is the right thing to do to build transit.”
Walton says on the surface the cuts needed to create the savings are not ideal.
“And this other 30-million dollars basically is saying don’t be as conservative with your accounting and yet certainly Translink has been challenged in the past and saying it is potentially cannibalizing itself in order to meet its operating expenses so i think before you assume the 30-million dollars is automatic savings going forward there has to be a considerable amount of probing.”
But he admits the mayors have limited options.
“Well the legislation provides us a very minimal role that really just appointing directors and approving major capitol increases I think there is a disconnect from the land planning function of Metro Vancouver that all of us have a major major challenge with that aside we have communicated that and we continue to indicate to the province, to the media, and to the public that this is not the optimal model.”
Walton says the other 30-million dollars in savings comes from Translink being less conservative with their accounting.
He says don’t assume the 41 million is automatic savings going forward, adding there needs to be a closer look at the audit’s findings and impacts.
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