afransen
Senior Member
That seems needlessly complicated. Splitting the cost four ways rather than one should be incentive enough?
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Infrastructure problems? Investors can pave the way (Globe)
- Thread starter Mike in TO
- Start date
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Hydrogen
Guest
All 400 series highways should be tolled - simply as a means to maintaining these arteries in the best condition.
EnviroTO
Senior Member
Exactly. The fact that people don't carpool now is proof that current costs really aren't that prohibitive. Car insurance, gas, and downtown parking costs aren't enough currently to get people to move onto transit in large numbers nor to carpool. People complain loudly about insurance rates, gas, and parking rates... but at the same time it isn't bad enough for them to change their habits. That means the car tolls would need to be something like $20 per day to make an impact in changing people's behaviour. People already pay $12 parking downtown without much concern. Probably it makes the most sense to set a daily rate of $20 accepting that a delivery vehicle can't be paying a toll every time it makes a delivery during the day.
billonlogan
Active Member
We pay enough in taxes to maintain the roads. There is more than enough money.
billonlogan
Active Member
What other choice for drivers to switch to public transit. Look at this week for example. People I spoke to who decided to take the GO train or subway on Monday instead of the car endured delays, delays, delays, delays. They gladly dug out their cars Monday night to drive instead the next day.
isittimetomoveyet
Active Member
Im all for tolling all the major highways in the GTA. As someone else pointed out, this wont penalize one particular region over another.
I say form a crown corporation, implement the tolls, roll around in the money, and then reinvest into better public transit for the entire region. MoveOntario 2020 is a great start, but with some additional yearly commitments we could really develop the best transportation network in the world.
I say form a crown corporation, implement the tolls, roll around in the money, and then reinvest into better public transit for the entire region. MoveOntario 2020 is a great start, but with some additional yearly commitments we could really develop the best transportation network in the world.
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Hydrogen
Guest
In principle, I agree with you. There are no end of taxes that can be applied to transportation, and there has to be a limit. I see tolls on 400-series highways as a limited type of user fee. I'd much prefer these to a so-called congestion charge inside the city, which in my opinion could do economic harm if handled poorly. Nevertheless, the placement of highway tolls would have to be scrutinized as well so as not to be excessive to any one particular group of highway users.
As I mentioned, all the toll money should be reinvested back into the highways. That way, general tax revenues that were originally destined for these roadways can be invested in transit.
Considering how important transportation is, all such plans must be respectful of the revenge of unintended consequences.
Dilla
Senior Member
Although I agree with tolling the highways, every time this subject comes up I can't help but wonder (and, this is going to make me very unpopular with some people) why the petrol tax shouldn't be raised instead? *ducks*
There would be no need to form a crown corporation, toll booths (or cameras a la the 407), or any new bureaucracy or infrastructure. People would effectively pay for how far they drive on public roads (with a bonus of gas-guzzler's paying more per km).
It seems as though it'd be a cheaper, easier way to collect the money. Is this a bad idea other than for being political suicide?
There would be no need to form a crown corporation, toll booths (or cameras a la the 407), or any new bureaucracy or infrastructure. People would effectively pay for how far they drive on public roads (with a bonus of gas-guzzler's paying more per km).
It seems as though it'd be a cheaper, easier way to collect the money. Is this a bad idea other than for being political suicide?
afransen
Senior Member
Gasoline taxes tax a slightly different thing that highway tolls. Indeed, it is a tax on fuel consumed, not 'highway lane consumed'. Also, tolls can be varied by time of day, which cannot be done with fuel taxes.