Editor: We just returned from vacation and spent a full day reading newspapers to catch up on local happenings. It was no big surprise to see that TransLink is once again after more money from home and car owners.

I am a big supporter of user fees — I believe that if you use a service, then you should pay for it. However, out in rural 91Ô­´´ we have very little access to transit. Therefore, we own a car.

Now is anyone at TransLink going to subsidize my gas, insurance or maintenance on the vehicle? No, of course not. So why do they want those of us who do not have access to the service to pay for it?

It is also impractical to think that everyone could use transit. Most of us who live here must use our vehicles for work. If I had the opportunity to use transit, I would — and I would be happy to pay for it.

TransLink complains that not enough people are using the Golden Ears Bridge, so it wants to put the toll up. Wake up over there. Lower the toll to encourage more people to use the bridge.

It makes sense that if no one is using it and it’s not paying for itself, you need to give an incentive for people to use it. In the end, TransLink will end up with more money due to volume.

One toll bridge we crossed recently in New York charged $13.50. Can you imagine the outcry if that happened here?

We should consider ourselves extremely fortunate. People in Manhattan must use either transit or pay tolls to come and go to work every day, if they do not live on the island. Their transit fees reflect the actual costs to get around, and ridership is still high.

When you consider the cost of parking in cities now, it is definitely advantageous to take transit where possible, keeping in mind that the fees must be structured to cover what the service is actually costing. Transit authorities should not expect people who never use the service to cover the costs.

We are extremely lucky to be getting a much-needed new Port Mann crossing, especially considering the general state of the economy worldwide.  The cost of the toll will save money for drivers in the long run through not having to sit and idle cars for so long, burning unnecessary fuel. There will be time saved.

But TransLink needs to take a good hard look at where it are going to be raising funds, and stop trying to punish those of us with cars who cannot use their service.  I’m happy to pay a toll for a bridge that will save me time — but stop trying to rob me at the gas pumps.

Pam Erikson,

91Ô­´´