TOareaFan
Superstar
Actually the question was in the first part:
is the goal of road tolls to end/reduce/limit congestion? or is it to raise money?
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Actually the question was in the first part:
is the goal of road tolls to end/reduce/limit congestion? or is it to raise money?
afransen
Senior Member
Depends on who's doing it?
For Metrolinx, the answer seems to be both.
For Metrolinx, the answer seems to be both.
Automation Gallery
Superstar
I can see myself paying a road toll on a brand spanking new super highway. but not on an old dirty broken down congested expressway.
nfitz
Superstar
Good! Less traffic for me to negotiate on the Gardiner.
I'm quite happy for them to toll every road in the city if it makes it easier to drive.
kEiThZ
Superstar
...the slippery slope to two-tier roads!
afransen
Senior Member
Keith, probably tongue-in-cheek, but is that really so bad?
kEiThZ
Superstar
It was snarky....
Actually, I largely agree with the concept. And I do think we are moving in that direction by other means....ie increasing the price of parking.
afransen
Senior Member
There's already a pretty effective market for parking. I would just relax regulations surrounding how much parking must be provided in new developments, which distorts that market by requiring the construction of unnecessary parking at unnecessary expense.
kEiThZ
Superstar
What bugs me is how much land parking takes. I would love to see council mandate underground or multi-storey parking structures...thereby making it more expensive to park and facilitating more room for development.
I would not go as far as requiring less parking spots. I would not want to end up like NYC where people drive around forever to find a spot. If we are doing this then let's implement those electronic signs that tell you how many spots there are on each street.
afransen
Senior Member
Not surprisingly, I think the endless circling you hear about in NYC is due to parking being artificially cheap. Raise the parking rates (or use time of use pricing) and that problem would like be resolved (either through lower car use, or increased supply of parking once the price rises to justify it).
Of course, technology such as the signs you mention help the situation, too. In the model, one assumes the agents have perfect information, which obviously isn't true. More information helps the market operate more efficiently.
Of course, technology such as the signs you mention help the situation, too. In the model, one assumes the agents have perfect information, which obviously isn't true. More information helps the market operate more efficiently.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
From what I've heard, there already has been some relaxation with respect to parking demands. In fact, there may be a small number of new developments that will go up without parking, but with PATH or transit connections. In some instances, parking is being restricted to units with two bedrooms or more.
afransen
Senior Member
I thought it was normal practice for developers to sell parking spots for what they feel they are worth. I see no need to prohibit or restrict parking, additionally.
kEiThZ
Superstar
Rather than parking what is novel and should be promoted is the integration of car sharing services in high rises. It's a real alternative to paying more than the cost of a new car for the parking spot itself.
It always amazes me that the average person runs their car for probably about an hour a day in total max. Compare that to the airline industry which tries incredibly hard to keep planes up for 12 hours a day. Indeed, many have attributed a good chunk of Emirates' profits to the fact that they keep their planes up for 16 hours a day. It's a simplistic example, but time is money and for most of us it makes little sense to have a car sitting around for 23 hours a day.
The flip side of this problem is that many of the car sharing services have some rather horrendous vehicle choices right now....
Also, I am starting to wonder if parking can be used to reduce traffic instead of road tolls. Taxing parking spots is a lot easier politically than road tolls. And it affects businesses a lot less than the average commuter. It seems to be a really practical solution....
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Typically, yes; but parking garages are very expensive to construct. Reducing the number of available spaces can reduce construction costs to some degree.
Keith, if you are referring to condo parking spots, they are already taxed.
kEiThZ
Superstar
I meant all parking spots...