Would downtown resident's have to pay road tolls?

[Abeja de Almirante]

IIRC, Miller's been looking at instituting road tolls in the city, along the lines of London, UK. I live in Riverdale now, but am considering a move to downtown. If I lived downtown, would I have to pay tolls everytime I left and came back to the city? Or, would this apply only to those from out of town?

 

[EnviroTO]

If road tolls are implemented downtown the same way they were in London then there wouldn't be any exemptions for people living in the zone. The tolls were implemented in London for all vehicles moving into, out of, and inside the toll zone during specified hours (presumably hours they were experiencing congestion in). The toll in London was 8 pounds or about $17.25 for a day of travel in the zone.

I don't think the plan for road tolls in Toronto is very far along though. I don't think there has even been a study.

 

[Abeja de Almirante]

there wouldn't be any exemptions for people living in the zone. That seems silly. I live downtown, and work in Brampton. There's no realistic way for me to avoid the tolls and still get to work on time.

 

[Observer Walt]

If I'm not mistaken, in London those who are resident in the "tolled" area get heavy discounts. In addition they only pay at all, if their car is moving, so if parked in the garage they pay nothing.

 

[spmarshall]

That is correct. There are major concesions to those who reside within the area - up to 90% of the congestion charges.

 

[rbtaylor]

If I lived downtown, would I have to pay tolls everytime I left and came back to the city?

I don't see why not. Travel during peak periods is going to add to the congestion regardless of direction of travel.

I'm going with the assumption that the congestion fees will be fairly reasonable.

Heck, it would suit me fine to scrap the TTC specific passes and create a Toronto Transportation Pass instead. For $100 per month you can drive in the city or take the TTC, or any combination of the above.

 

[billonlogan]

For $100 per month you can drive in the city or take the TTC, or any combination of the above.

No thanks, there is plenty in the fuel tax to go around. Why invent new ways to extort money from hard working people?
Cut it out!

 

[andreapalladio]

Downtown resident's...what? Their grannies will have to pay tolls? Dogs? Cats? Rats? Gnus? Pray tell, what possessions of downtown residents will be harshly taxed in such a horrible way?

 

[JoeyCuppa]

No thanks, there is plenty in the fuel tax to go around. Why invent new ways to extort money from hard working people?

Yeah, but the fuel tax doesn't go to the city. The PST and GST doesn't go to the city.

The city maintains all the roads (including the highways) in city boundaries - what does someone driving in to the city from the 905 contribute to their upkeep? Virtually nothing.

 

[doady]

Yeah, but the fuel tax doesn't go to the city.

Yes part of the gas tax revenue of both high levels of government does go to the city.

What does someone driving in to the city from the 905 contribute to their upkeep? Virtually nothing.

What does someone driving in to the suburbs from the city contribute to their upkeep? Virtually nothing.

 

[rbtaylor]

No thanks, there is plenty in the fuel tax to go around.

Toronto's transportation budget is about $1.5B per year in direct expenses. Policing and indirect expenses aren't in there.

Toronto WILL receive somewhere on the order of $220M in gas tax once the fed and province are paying the maximum amount they intend to offer.

I wouldn't exactly say there is plenty of fuel tax to go around given the significant difference between those two values.

 

[JoeyCuppa]

What does someone driving in to the suburbs from the city contribute to their upkeep? Virtually nothing.

Do people actually do that? You're putting me on!

 

[ahrvojic]

Yes!

2001 GTA Cordon Count Trends 1991-2001 (PDF)

Check out the data on reverse-flow commuting (page 6).

Other interesting reports on GTA traffic from the U of T Joint Program in Transportation here.