Can you imagine driving on the Lincoln Alexander Parkway or the Red Hill Expressway and paying a toll?
How about the QEW or the 401?
This is what Municipal expert Harry Kitchen is suggesting we are heading towards in the near future. With taxes and user fees on everything from cell phone airwaves to the recently rejected rain tax, is this really a surprise to any of us? It was just a matter of time before user fees on roads, sewers and storm facilities are to be implemented. We’ve all driven through Buffalo or any other major stretch of highway in the United States, tolls are the norm. In a recent report by CATCH , Hamilton has $15 billion in infrastructure, with roads comprising the biggest portion. Mr. Kitchen spoke at last week’s Transport Futures 2011 Mobility Pricing Conference in Toronto saying “You need user fees so that the user realizes that the resource in question is scarce,” he argued. “In that way, it’s not overused.” Kitchen noted that there is a “growing tendency” for at least people to think about road tolling, especially the younger crowd. Older people are more resistant. But all speakers at last week’s conference agreed that road tolls are coming, it’s just a question of when. We’ve all sat in rush hour traffic one time or another and this is a great idea according to Andrew Coyne who suggested in the January 17th issue of Macleans that “…whether we are talking about cars, or buses, or tennis rackets…people make better decisions when they know what things cost. Right now the true cost of using roads is hidden, leading people to drive more and in different ways than they would if they were better informed.” Coyne also suggests that if highway 401 had been tolled when it was first built, the 407 probably wouldn’t be necessary.
Do you think Hamilton is ready for road tolls to balance out the growing infrastructure costs? Please vote on the poll to the right.
In the latest poll conducted: 62% of residents believe that Hamilton is NOT ready for tolls and 37% believe this could help balance out the infrastructure cost. None thought traffic was an important issue.
In the latest poll conducted: 62% of residents believe that Hamilton is NOT ready for tolls and 37% believe this could help balance out the infrastructure cost. None thought traffic was an important issue.
I remember when the Skyway had a toll. It wasn't onerous and provided income to pay for it. Once it was paid for, the toll was removed. If minor tolls were charged to ensure that roads were maintained then it makes fiscal sense. The problem I see is that the tolls will be charged, they will be exorbitant such as the 407, and there will be little or no change to the conditions of roads.
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