How to plan, build, operate and finance Transportation Infrastructure

This week Conversations That Matter features Jane Bird who as CEO of the Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc, the company that planned, built and figured out how to pay for the public transit line to Richmond and the airport. How did she do it? What can we learn from her experience as we tackle transportation infrastructure planning in the GVRD?

 

Rule number one according to Bird is, “people need to feel like it's fair. They need to feel like it's reasonable for me to have to pay this. It’s not fair if one person pays to drive to on the road work and another drives in for free.” She goes on to say, “if users are paying for something they want to know it is an investment in better service, people need to feel that, bottom line, they need to understand why. If we can demonstrate that, then we have a shot at social license.”

 

Conversations That Matter is a partner program with the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for these important and engaging Conversations shaping our future.