3w ago

The case for congestion pricing in Canada

www.nationalobserver.com The case for congestion pricing in Canada

Less than a month after New York City kicked off its congestion pricing plan, roads are already clearer. The first week saw a 7.5 per cent drop in traffic representing 43,800 fewer vehicles per day, along with an uptick in subway ridership.

8 comments

After seeing the success in New York I would love for something like that in Toronto’s downtown core; however serious and aggressive improvement of the TTC would be needed.
Right now a small power outage can cause massive delays. We need more lines, redundant systems, and a diversity of routes to let people redirect themselves when necessary.
- I think we also need more strategies to keep the trains moving, especially during rush hours. I think the most common reason I hear for unplanned subway downtime is "security incident" and "medical incident". I think the (increasing number it seems of) fare enforcement officers is bad spending. As a TTC user they're of no benefit to me, and I don't think they effectively reduce fare evasion either - I think the value is crap. I'd rather see security and medical/nursing personnel on trains or at stations to intervene sooner (security and medical incidents, respectively) and keep the trains running.
  The crowding at St. George station is getting nuts

I don't have a dog in this fight, though I do have two concerns with this approach in general.
Were these roads funded by taxes on the public? If so, will this be addressed now that the public is essentially barred entry without further paying?
This specifically targets, impacts, and restricts those with lower incomes. Are there any provisions to address this? Likely not.
- Many taxpayer funded services still have additional fees for the users (postal service, toll roads, etc)
  This is a common argument against congestion pricing, but it ignores the fact that the lowest income people cannot afford a car/gas. Implementing congestion pricing and shifting resources towards public transit would be a huge win for the poorest in our society
  
  I'm also against tax dollars spent to build toll rolls, especially if they are handed over to private entities. I'm not familiar with your postal system, but it would be odd if it requires a significant amount of public funds to operate.
  Yes, the lowest income may not be able to afford cars, but that ignores the large swaths of barely surviving folks that can and do operate vehicles out of necessity. For instance, many in the service industry or "unskilled labor" likely have to commute in to work in these places they can't afford to live. Depending on their location, there may not be public transportation in the meaningful sense to get them to work. There should be provisions to address this, but there often isn't.

8 comments