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Port Mann Toll Bridge

candikayak

Paddler
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Messages
121
Location
Texada Island
Recently when we traveled to Texada Island we went across the new Port Mann toll bridge. We have just received our bill for our crossing and interestingly we were classified as a medium vehicle on the way down and a small vehicle on the way back. We were driving a Toyota Rav 4 both ways but on the way down we had a kayak on J cradles. So here goes again......just like the ferries used to....we are being charged extra for the extra few inches....small vehicle was $1.50 and medium vehicle was $4.50 ........Unbelievable.....three times the price just for having a kayak on board.....
 
From the BC Government website I found "Small Vehicles: Passenger vehicles, including cars, pickup trucks and SUVs. A vehicle that is less than six metres in length and 2.3 metres or less in height." So perhaps they "got you" on the height thing.

From that same website I also found this "If payment is not received within seven days of crossing, the driver's address is requested via ICBC and an invoice is issued. The invoice will include the outstanding toll charges and as well as a $2.30 processing fee for each crossing requiring an invoice. This processing charge will be waived for the first three months and will be applied to unregistered crossings as of March 1, 2013." I smell a lot of "involuntary tax" about to be placed on tourists visiting BC! (or is that "Bring Cash"?) How many people do they think will actually check the BC government website before driving to BC from other provinces? (especially those who may use the Horseshoe Bay terminal?...or is that the whole idea?)

Methinks a phone call or two is in order.
 
There was an article in the Sun or Province a few weeks ago about a woman who crossed the Port Mann with a bicycle on top of her car -- she was charged as a medium vehicle and called Treo to complain. They refunded her the difference.

I would definitely contact Treo, explain to them what happened to see if they can change the toll for you.

I suspect there are going to be a few issues with regard to small vehicle and medium vehicle.
 
Interesting feature on the Vancouver version of Global News at 6 tonight regarding the new bridge taking a "toll" on drivers based on variations in pricing due to resizing of the same vehicle. Gist of it is...go to the company as they have 'agents sorting these issues' out. They recognize that one size does not apply to all...for pricing. Still curious about what they do for us foreigners who stray across it from time to time....do they send bills for $1.50 with 6o cent postage for a pre admin profit of 90 cents? To admin one bill must cost them at least 30 dollars by the time staff are paid etc....
 
I just got off the phone with TReO. They explained that they will check the photo/licence of the tourist vehicle and (possibly through ICBC?) send a charge to the DMV of the province/state in question. (This is what the 403ETR system in Ontario also does...or says it does). Instead of 7 days the registered owner will be given 30 days to pay after which there will be interest added to the bill.

Moral... don't plan on heading up the BC ferry route to Prince Rupert and going into the backwoods for more than a month where you might not receive mail or have internet or you are going to get dinged with at least interest charges if not also their "service charge" on top of the toll fee.

Also, they say that a small vehicle is "a small vehicle" whether or not it has stuff on the roof. Their automated system detects the height (as it did in Candi's case) and automatically "dings" the meter to the next category. The customer can then protest the bill and TReO will check the photograph. Apparently the "height" of the "vehicle" is just that and when it comes to determining whether or not "the vehicle" is a "small passenger" car, (or a truck or whatever ), a load on the roof will not enter the equation even though the "stupid" detector thinks it is high enough to be in a different class.

Time to check the BC ferry schedule Tsawassen/Nanaimo. *sigh*.

As an interesting side note, I spent some time travelling the 403ETR in Ontario a few years back and never did get a bill from them. "Roll The Dice" anyone?
 
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