Toll highways?

[eternallyme]

I'm just wondering - should it be considered for the main freeways in Ontario? At this point, it might not be a bad idea.

There are several considerations for tolls:

* NO tolls should be permitted in northern Ontario. That is because of the lack of alternate routes in many cases. For the purpose of this rule, the boundary would be defined as the Severn River. In practice, on existing Highways 11 and 400, tolls would stop at Barrie. All other 400-series highways can be tolled as a result.

* Routes that are not 400-series highways cannot be tolled.

* Tolls should be capped at 5 cents per kilometre on the major freeways for passenger cars, only permitted to increase by 0.1 cent each year. For example, a drive on the 401 from Windsor to the Quebec border would cost about $42 for passenger cars.

* Municipal freeways are not part of this plan (i.e. DVP, Gardiner), but would be determined by the municipality responsible for them.

* All toll revenue should remain in the transportation budget. 75% of the revenue should be dedicated to roads and bridges, while 25% should be dedicated to public transit.

* Transponders would be provided, and should be made fully interoperable with other jurisdictions so that tourists don't get gouged or surprised.