P.E.I. transportation plan has 'no targets,' Greens charge

P.E.I. needs bold action in the transportation sector to meet its carbon emission targets, says the Green Party, and it is not there in the strategy the government released Wednesday.

"We have no targets laid out in this strategy, so what is it that we're doing exactly? We don't know yet," said Steve Howard, Opposition critic for transportation and energy.

Howard said the Poverty Reduction Plan, Climate Action Strategy and Energy Strategy all require a solid transportation plan. The transportation sector accounts for 47 per cent of carbon emissions on P.E.I.

He dismissed recommendations, such as more people working from home to reduce driving as suggested by government, and said electric vehicle incentives could have been better structured.

"In Germany they offer larger incentives for the lower-cost vehicles. The higher the cost of the vehicle the lower the incentive, and that's to encourage the participation of everyone," said Howard.

He noted the government also recently missed an opportunity when it didn't add an active transportation corridor to the Hillsborough Bridge with the current work being done there.

Howard said the Green Party has expertise in this area and he was disappointed the government did not consult with the Opposition before releasing this strategy.

"The word collaboration is starting to lose its lustre for me, because this is just the latest in a series of initiatives that the government has brought forward that we, the Opposition caucus, was not consulted on," he said.

The tone of collaboration needs to improve, Howard said.

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