Cascadia Report

Category: Business

  • Rockslide shows need for road alternatives

    There’s no definitive explanation yet for the rock slide that blocked traffic between Vancouver and Whistler for seven hours on Sunday.

    Sea-to-Sky rockslide; photo from news1130.comSurely the major widening of the Sea-to-Sky highway to handle traffic for the 2010 Olympics played a role, but construction isn’t officially getting the blame. It’s worth noting that radio Web sites provided information about the road’s conditions all day, while as late as 1:00 a.m. on Sunday night the Vancouver Sun’s Web site told readers to wait for the Monday morning newspaper.

    The unexplained closure ought to renew interest in alternative forms of transportation to the Whistler area. Why not an expansion of the passenger ferry service planned between Vancouver and Squamish during the Olympics? Why not start a fast ferry from Seattle to Squamish? If the C$600 million or so cost of the highway’s reconstruction makes economic sense, can’t alternatives pencil out too?

  • Timber company gets gift of public forest

    British Columbia is giving a troubled timber company a huge swath of forest on Vancouver Island, essentially allowing logging on public property in exchange for the economic benefit of helping keep the company in business.

    Western Forest Products gets 69,000 acres — roughly 75 times the size of Stanley Park — that the company ceded to the government decades ago in exchange for access to other land. The move is expected to allow logging that will provide thousands of jobs along the province’s coast, though the jobs aren’t likely to outlast the trees.

  • Build rail transit to help the environment

    Here’s another reason to invest in rail transit along the I-5 corridor from Vancouver to Portland: the environment.

    Of course it will cost billions, but we should begin the process with the money we have amassed in recent years. If we don’t, we’ll never be able to afford it. Ticket revenue would defray a portion of the cost, and productivity gains will help offset the cost.

    If we add tolls along the corridor based on the amount of car traffic, the economics of a rail alternative would improve even more.

  • B.C. should open India trade office, report says

    British Columbia should open a business development office in India to support industry-led marketing there, according to a group commissioned by Premier Gordon Campbell.

    In order to build ties beyond the export of natural resources, the province needs to boost its profile in India, the report said. B.C. could encouraging Indian movie and TV producers to include stories of the Indian diaspora in Canada, or pay them to showcase the province’s nature. It notes that both Air Canada and Air India are expected to launch service to India from Vancouver.

  • Ferries hit by bias toward roads

    The price for a car and two passengers to go by ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island — less than three miles — yesterday: $10.50. The cost for the 165-mile return trip on highways? Nothing.

    puget sound ferry; photo by psat.wa.govSome Washington lawmakers say this bias toward highways should change. They argue that ferry users are already paying their share, so the state should kick in more to support the ferry network. Surely the gap that makes roads seem essentially free should be narrowed.

    Fares reportedly accounted for about 74 percent of the ferry system’s operating budget last year (up from 60 petcent a few years ago) and plans call for another increase in fares. By comparison, bus fares cover 20 to 25 percent of King County Metro’s costs. Fares continue to rise across Cascadia. Meanwhile, except for a few cents a gallon in gas tax, the cost of maintaining highways isn’t reflected at all.

  • Whistler debates opening of another chain store

    Debate over whether a drug store chain should be allowed to open in Whistler Village has driven a wedge between small retailers worried about being run out of business and residents hungry for bargains. Residents are torn: a recent survey found that they want lower prices for goods but prefer local stores over national chains.

  • Tacoma lacks space for companies downtown

    Tacoma has turned down commercial tenants in its reviving downtown for lack of office space, but no one will build more until the non-existent space is leased.

    By contrast, Seattle reportedly has about 550,000 square feet of office space under construction and Bellevue has more than 1.9 million square feet under construction. Tacoma? Aside from two smallish buildings – zero. The reason, according to a local leasing agent: “Tacoma is not Bellevue. Although were just 35 miles down the road, its completely different demographics. As different as Tacoma is from Centralia.”

  • New push for alternative energy in Oregon

    Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski called for a cap on carbon dioxide emissions and creation of a trading system designed to reduce the state’s output. He said the proposals would stimulate business in the state:

    “You know we’ve turned a corner when Wall Street banks are telling you that investments in renewable energy and other technologies to combat global warming are among the largest economic opportunities now and in the coming decades,” he said.

    Electricity production reportedly accounts for 42 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Kulongoski would have a task force propose details of a cap-and-trade system while he advances bills to promote biofuels and require a quarter of Oregon’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.

  • Tolls may not be enough

    Tolls wouldn’t generate enough revenue to cover the costs of a new road near Portland, according to a new study. The results suggests that tolls won’t work if there are feasible alternative routes or if the tolls are too high.

  • Ports oppose plan to tax shipping

    Washington state ports are opposing an influential legislator’s plan to tax containers to pay for transportation projects that would help move freight. The ports should offer an alternative way to pay for the improvements.

    An extra per-container charge would steer more traffic to rivals in Vancouver or California, which are already competing effectively because of superior transportation links to larger markets. Yet, with rising construction costs making the regional to-do list more daunting, it’s not enough to expect voters to pay entirely through up-front taxes. Why not advocate congestion pricing across the region, which would alleviate crowding on roads and provide incentives to use alternate transportation.