VANCOUVER: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reacted to the $14 billion in spending for public transit projects announced by the provincial government today.

"This pre-election feel-good announcement is full of boondoggles that increases the likelihood of higher taxes," said Maureen Bader, BC Director of the CTF. "This announcement focuses only on the transit benefits but leaves out whether it will actually reduce greenhouse gases and how this will all be paid for."

A key 2001 election promise was to hold a referendum before any new Translink taxes or levies, but people are being hit with property tax increases, hydro levies, and SFU and UBC students have no choice but to pay for a bus pass when they enroll at university, all to fund Translink.

"We are already being hit hard by transit taxes and today's announcement increases the likelihood of a more general carbon tax," said Bader. "The government may ask the entire province to fund a Cadillac transit system that will benefit a small minority of the population. This spending should be subject to a referendum."

According to Translink's own study of the Millennium skytrain line, 63% of rides occur during peak rush hour periods and only 21% of riders switched from single vehicle use. About 64% of Millennium line riders switched from other transit types, such as buses.

"Ten billion dollars is a lot of money to spend on rapid transit lines that are used mostly during rush hour and just substitute for already existing bus service," said Bader. "If more transit doesn't actually get people out of their cars, it won't do much to reduce carbon dioxide emissions."

Today's announcement includes $1.6 billion for 1,500 clean energy buses and their infrastructure, which is supposed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, taxpayers already gave $89 million for a 20-bus hydrogen demo project for the Olympics and after much fanfare, BC Transit announced it would use diesel trucks to ship hydrogen for its new fuelling stations in B.C. from Quebec, 5,000 kilometers away.

"The government is using the greenhouse gas reduction hysteria to justify massive spending and tax increases," said Bader. " Hydrogen and other so-called clean energy bus technology sound good, but when the time comes to roll the projects out, we see how the benefits have been exaggerated. "