Mitch Rajmoolie drives on Hwy. 407 every day. From the eastern edges of Scarborough to the western boundary of Mississauga, he pays close to $400 a month to use the only toll road in Ontario. But it’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make.
"In terms of time, (it would take) probably an additional hour if I had taken the 401,” Rajmoolie said.
The city’s road repair backlog is $280 million, and as ridership increases, TTC subways and buses keep overflowing. A Toronto Board of Trade report ranks Hogtown last in commuting times, compared to 18 other cities around the world.
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YOU PAY WHAT YOU GET FOR: Roads and highways are expensive to repair, and the backlog continues to grow. Steve Johnston of the city of Toronto says the road repair backlog is $280 million. Transport Futures director Marty Collier says road pricing would help pave the way for smooth roads. (Photo by Roger Tran) |
But Kamal Hassan says there may be one solution to solve all these problems. He’s the CEO of Skymeter, a metering company that’s proposing to charge motorists based on where and how long they drive.
Hassan compares a driver using the road like someone being able to walk in a grocery store and grabbing items for free.
“I can also promise you that if all the stores in Toronto gave away free groceries, all the shelves will be empty,” Hassan said. “We give away free roads and they jam up. It’s not a surprise, we should be shocked if we didn’t have traffic jams.”
Skymeter would use GPS technology to accurately track drivers. The system also uses various factors, such as parking and time of day to determine pricing. A 5 p.m. trip on the Gardiner Expressway would cost more than at 5 a.m . Skymeter was one of 10 companies that received $500,000 through Ontario’s Investment Accelerator Fund program.
But he says it’s not his job to tell Torontonians what they should pay for. And so far, there's no politician even willing to touch the subject.
"If we pay for what we use, traffic jams will go away. If we don't pay for what we use, traffic jams will be with us forever,” Hassan said. “Every road you charge for, you’ll have better traffic.”
STOP AND GO: Traffic jams are frequent on Highway 404 and many other roads in Toronto. High occupancy lanes are used on the busy freeway to alleviate congestion. Toll roads may also be the key to stop the gridlock. (Photo by Roger Tran)
Marty Collier also supports road pricing in Toronto. He’s the director of Transport Futures, a think-tank group that hosts various transportation conferences. The conventions bring up discussions for solving traffic congestion, including toll roads.
Collier wants to see the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway, the only two highways maintained by the city, uploaded to the provincial government. He says it would allow Queen’s Park to set prices on its 400-series highways. And it prevents Toronto from being the only region in the GTA with toll roads, along with Highway 407.
“You have to make (the network) as comprehensive as possible,” Collier said.
Derek Luk, a spokesperson for Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne, says the province currently has no plans for future toll roads.
But Collier believes someone needs to take political charge for implementing toll roads.
Sarah Thomson was the only major mayoral candidate in the recent municipal election who suggested tolls on the DVP and Gardiner.
“People know that (toll roads,) they’re everywhere,” Thomson said. “The time was right to introduce them.” Large cities around the world such as Hong Kong, New York City, Tokyo and Sydney have some toll roads on their highways.
She doesn’t agree with Skymeter’s system, saying the model taxes Toronto residents too much. But the revenue from drivers using the Gardiner and DVP would fund her new subway lines across the city.
“I think we need a regular source of income to fund transit,” she said. “And the minute we rely on government handouts, we keep getting short-shifted, as in the $4 billion that the province pulled back (from Transit City).”
She believes her performance in some polls, as high as 12 per cent before dropping out, show her ideas were good.
“A lot of people outside Toronto didn’t like it. But people inside Toronto seem to be very supportive of it,” she said. “I think I was resonating with people. People were saying, ‘you know, we need toll roads.’”
Collier believes Toronto’s transportation system is 20 years behind. He says cars still have a place to go.
“I’m not sure if cars will be with us in about 100 years. Some say cars will always be with us,” Collier said. “But in the meantime, we should just have a system that’s based on economics 101; you pay for what you get.”
External Links
Fun Facts: Busiest and longest highways - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway#Statistics
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