Roads: GTA West Corridor—Highway 413

[kamira51]

Facing fierce public backlash Caledon council does u-turn on GTA West Highway

With Caledon’s recent decision to request the federal government step in to study the GTA West Corridor, following in the footsteps of Environmental Defence and Ecojustice.

thepointer.com

Caledon would be a fool to not support this, Bolton is expanding its industry area and Caledon East is building more homes and what does that add? more cars. But if this ends up getting canned yet again, we will suffer the consequences.
People think that by subsidizing trucking companies to use the 407 will some how fix this are people who don't drive through southern Caledon and experience the sheer volume of cars going east, west and south.

I agree about sprawl being a huge concern, but as long as it doesn't cross over King Rd, personally i don't care as most of the land south of King Rd are poorly maintained due to the fact that most are leased, sold or for sale. But some farms are very well taken care of i must admit and ones that might be impacted by this project.

 

[kamira51]

A recently released paper just for you.

Congestion in highways when tolls and railroads matter: Evidence from European cities

Downloadable! Using data from the 545 largest European cities, we study whether the expansion of their highway capacity provides a solution to the problem of traffic congestion. Our results confirm that in the long run, and in line with the ’fundamental law of highway congestion’, the expansion...

ideas.repec.org

Here's the abstract:

Using data from the 545 largest European cities, we study whether the expansion of their highway capacity provides a solution to the problem of traffic congestion. Our results confirm that in the long run, and in line with the ’fundamental law of highway congestion’, the expansion in cities of lane kilometers causes an increase in vehicle traffic that does not solve urban congestion. We disentangle the increase in traffic due to the increases in coverage and in capacity. We further introduce road pricing and public transit policies in order to test whether they moderate congestion. Our findings confirm that the induced demand is considerably smaller in cities with road pricing schemes, and that congestion decreases with the expansion of public transportation.

An older paper based on US data also finds the same induced demand effect from highway construction. This one doesn't find evidence of decreases in congestion from public transportation, but I would take that with some caveat, the US doesn't build enough public transportation at a scale that could shift away from highway traffic.

The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US Cities - American Economic Association

The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US Cities by Gilles Duranton and Matthew A. Turner. Published in volume 101, issue 6, pages 2616-52 of American Economic Review, October 2011, Abstract: We investigate the effect of lane kilometers of roads on vehicle-kilometers traveled...

www.aeaweb.org

The solution to congestion is clearly to add tolls and improve public transit. Otherwise, congestion doesn't go away. Induced demand is a thing. You'll just keep building highways in perpetuity.

Very informative post, makes me think that all the 400 series should be tolled, as a way to encourage carpooling, and fund public transit/fund the roads themselves.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

View attachment 300662
Amazing. Just amazing.

I'm sure we'll find out that a few Councillors in Vaughan benefit from this as well; they seem to be particularly gung-ho on MZOs and sprawl there.

I swear the development industry is to Ontario what the oil and gas industry is to Alberta

 

[ARG1]

I did say that bypasses would be required through those communities, but it's not like that sort of thing hasn't been done before, and that there is land available for a bypass. The hilly nature of the terrain is certainly a problem (one that can be engineered away though) but the GTA West highway is planned to go through the same area and so would be dealing with the same terrain issues.

Then at this point you choose a route that's not King Rd. Keep in mind the 413 is planned to run near Kirby Rd, which is 4km south of King Rd, so King Vaughan Rd or Kirby Rd might be better.

 

[north-of-anything]

Then at this point you choose a route that's not King Rd. Keep in mind the 413 is planned to run near Kirby Rd, which is 4km south of King Rd, so King Vaughan Rd or Kirby Rd might be better.

I was just thinking that Kirby/Mayfield would be a good alternative. Neither of those roads have too much development fronting onto them, and it would run right past the industrial heart of south Bolton. Perhaps Highway 427 could be further extended up to Kirby or Mayfield to make it easier for Caledon traffic to reach the 401.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

A thread on the political ties between the Provincial Government and private developers, that are likely influencing the construction of Hwy 413

https://twitter.com/x/status/1352258104818339841

 

[north-of-anything]

A thread on the political ties between the Provincial Government and private developers, that are likely influencing the construction of Hwy 413

https://twitter.com/x/status/1352258104818339841

I wouldn't say "likely" - they definitely are. It's being pushed over alternatives that are lower-cost or more beneficial long term to enable suburban sprawl. There's no way this is the only way to meet present demand.

 

[ARG1]

I wouldn't say "likely" - they definitely are. It's being pushed over alternatives that are lower-cost or more beneficial long term to enable suburban sprawl. There's no way this is the only way to meet present demand.

According to the star (which mind you tries the hardest they can to paint Doug Ford as possible), Doug Ford is planning to extend the boundaries of the GreenBelt to cover where the 413 will go as a sign that "no we're not building this for more sprawl".

 

[north-of-anything]

According to the star (which mind you tries the hardest they can to paint Doug Ford as possible), Doug Ford is planning to extend the boundaries of the GreenBelt to cover where the 413 will go as a sign that "no we're not building this for more sprawl".

Then why do we need a limited-access expressway when a Donald Cousens-style parkway would suffice?

 

[TheTigerMaster]

According to the star (which mind you tries the hardest they can to paint Doug Ford as possible), Doug Ford is planning to extend the boundaries of the GreenBelt to cover where the 413 will go as a sign that "no we're not building this for more sprawl".

Sure. Then 12 years from now when the next PC government rolls in, they'll revert those Greenbelt restrictions along the 413, using the proximity to the underutilized highway (413) as justification for intensifying at that location. These developers and their friends in the government are playing the long game.

 

[allengeorge]

When it comes to the provincial government and their Greenbelt plans, I'll believe it when I see it. They were hastily trotted out the weekend after the 413 sprawl article blew up; there are few specifics and no action yet.

From their backroom deals in the Dominion Foundry, to the gutting of CAs, to the Pickering wetlands and Vaughan MZOs - it's pretty clear that this government will do anything if developers want it.

 

[ARG1]

Sure. Then 12 years from now when the next PC government rolls in, they'll revert those Greenbelt restrictions along the 413, using the proximity to the underutilized highway (413) as justification for intensifying at that location. These developers and their friends in the government are playing the long game.

Ye okay, and the NDP's economic platform is actually a thinly veiled attempt at bringing communism to Canada. How about we stay away from arguing with unsubstantiated conspiracy theories?

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Ye okay, and the NDP's economic platform is actually a thinly veiled attempt at bringing communism to Canada. How about we stay away from arguing with unsubstantiated conspiracy theories?

Conspiracy? No. Just politics and smart business. There is nothing extraordinary about business using the government to further private interests.

 

[Amare]

Let's just call it what it is. What we're seeing here is polished corruption plain and simple. There are backroom dealings left, right, and centre with money and favors being passed around.

In Canada (or in the west in general), we love to call out "corruption" in other countries that do it overtly. The only difference between those places and here, is that we cover it up so much and disguise it under names like "donations", "best interests", "consultation", "job creation", and whatever other nonsense governments love spewing out of their mouths.

With Ontario in particular, all political parties pretty much swindle developers but the PC's just do it on a whole other level.

 

[innsertnamehere]

how is it corruption? Because it's an infrastructure project you don't like? Where's the corruption?