The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[WhipperSnapper]

Distance traveled is already taxed by way of the gas tax. Tax commercial parking lots if you want to raise some monies for a truckload or two of rail. These are used mostly be commuters (over businesses) and commuters with higher disposable income.

[d_jeffrey]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Distance traveled is already taxed by way of the gas tax. Tax commercial parking lots if you want to raise some monies for a truckload or two of rail. These are used mostly be commuters (over businesses) and commuters with higher disposable income.

Not with electric cars and those who can afford a Tesla surely can afford tolls. Anyways, Coderre wants tolls to pay for metro extensions through the ARTM. The ARTM got power of taxation for any new development in a 1.5 area of a metro station.

[WhipperSnapper]

That's why I said you go (secretly) after parking. Less political backlash and focuses more on the right people.


Coderre may want it. Coderre may say it because it sounds good. Tolls are best used for covering maintenance. Special taxations in communities around new public infrastructure is nothing new. Sometimes it has worked and sometimes it hasn't. It has never truly lived up to the expectations and optimism presented here with the REM.

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Distance traveled is already taxed by way of the gas tax. Tax commercial parking lots if you want to raise some monies for a truckload or two of rail. These are used mostly be commuters (over businesses) and commuters with higher disposable income.

If you want to tax distance, the gas tax will do. But travelling 5km through downtown Toronto at rush hour isn't the same as 5km through farmers' fields.

Parking taxes are also a good tool, but they are too blunt to differentiate between someone driving/parking at the peak of rush hour and someone doing it at 11am when traffic isn't heavy.

Non-variable tolls are similarly blunt, charging people no matter the congestion.


I'm a fan of congestion pricing because it's not just a tax or a revenue tool: It actually gives you something in return. You may pay $3-4 at the peak of rush hour, but in return, you get a smoother and more predictable commute. So if you have/want to drive, you might pay a little, but you're getting your money's worth in saved time and less frustration thanks to that toll. But at 8 pm when there's not really much traffic anyways, you pay nothing since tolling wouldn't make your trip any easier.

[nephersir7]

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

All politics. The feds wanted to charge a toll on the new Champlain Bridge and they backed out. Tolls should be charged every weekday on all Montreal bridges from 6AM to 6PM IMO.

A big issue with the feds' tolling plan is that none of the revenues would have gone towards transit (or the city, or the province). This is a big part of the reason why opposition from provincial and municipal politicians was so unanimous.

[GreaterMontréal]

You cannot, in the long run it would ruin the innercity. People already adore the suburbs, it would be the last nail in the coffin.

[LilZebra]

These documentary films may have been posted several years ago by others, but here again I post them.

BC Transit - On Track (1982-83)
• Video Link

BC Transit - Going to Town (1985-86)
• Video Link

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

You cannot, in the long run it would ruin the innercity. People already adore the suburbs, it would be the last nail in the coffin.

But Montreal had tolls on bridges into the 90's - have you forgotten that?

Virtually every city in the world has bridge tolls - except Montreal.

Frankly, if you can't afford to pay a 2 or 3$ toll, do we we really need you in our city - given the congestion and wear and tear on our infrastructure that you're going to contribute to?

If you can't afford bus or metro fare - yet can somehow manage to afford a car - what the hell are you going to contribute to our economy? You can't afford a 3$ bridge toll for fuck sakes! How are you going to be able to buy a beer in a bar?

Stay in Brossard or Laval Big Spender. Go to your local Walmart instead - we don't want them either!

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

These documentary films may have been posted several years ago by others, but here again I post them.

BC Transit - On Track (1982-83)
• Video Link

BC Transit - Going to Town (1985-86)
• Video Link

I worked at Expo 86 and thought the Skytrain was the bomb!

So cool. So modern.

Thanks for posting these!

K-cars, computer control centre..

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by OutOfTowner

But Montreal had tolls on bridges into the 90's - have you forgotten that?

Virtually every city in the world has bridge tolls - except Montreal.

Frankly, if you can't afford to pay a 2 or 3$ toll, do we we really need you in our city - given the congestion and wear and tear on our infrastructure that you're going to contribute to?

If you can't afford bus or metro fare - yet can somehow manage to afford a car - what the hell are you going to contribute to our economy? You can't afford a 3$ bridge toll for fuck sakes! How are you going to be able to buy a beer in a bar?

Stay in Brossard or Laval Big Spender. Go to your local Walmart instead - we don't want them either!

I actually agree with this post.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I actually agree with this post.

Well Rico, honestly.

Do you really think that someone is going to plan on buying.. I dunno.. Jerry Seinfeld, Habs. Cirque de Soleil tickets for 200$, grab a bite, hit a bar afterwards then go "OH! I didn't know the bridge was going to cost 3$!! Fuck that!" and cancel their plans?

Then hang out at McDo in St. Constant instead..

I honestly don't know why bridge tolls were dropped in the first place.

And toll the Waste Islanders while we're at it. They only contribute to increased congestion and bad fashion sense.

[OutOfTowner]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I actually agree with this post.

And I actually agree with your actual agreement with the actual agreeable post that you are actually agreeing with.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

I actually agree with this post.

Though not a bridge Toronto should toll the Gardner Expressway since the province off loaded it onto the city. All the 905'ers that bitch and say they will avoid coming downtown.....perfect! Added bonus.

[WhipperSnapper]

The Gardiner Expressway was always Toronto's responsibility. It's named after the first Metro Chair (similar to the current mayor of Toronto). The province unloaded a section of the QEW in Toronto 20 years ago and it was added to the Gardiner's length.

Tolling the Gardiner won't get drivers out of their cars. It will only direct a lot of the traffic onto local surface routes. People are irrational when it comes to tolls in these parts. Most drivers are irrational to commute by car to downtown. Let's be real too. These aren't just 905ers.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

These aren't just 905ers.

Obviously but the vast majority are. Also no reason why we can't do what London did and use automatic number plate recognition with cameras at each major intersection entering the downtown core. Traffic control and routes can be changed to stop those too cheap to pay their fare share. 46% of the revenue in London's system goes directly back into public transit.

[WhipperSnapper]

That could work. I don't think it would play into Toronto's favour just when there's renewed interest in re-establishing offices in the core. Toronto isn't London which was on top of the world. Budgeting wasn't high on anyone's list.

In my experience, people living along Yonge (ex.Forest Hill) and former boroughs like North York, Etobicoke, etc. are far more likely to drive downtown than a 905er. 905ers first do everything to avoid working downtown. Once they do, even the most autocentric individual is quick to jump on the GO bandwagon. GO is a lot more convenient and more affordable to a 905er than to someone in the 416. There's a higher percentage of 416ers clogging our streets and highways that most want to believe.

[MalcolmTucker]

[del]

[hipster duck]

Source

[Rico Rommheim]

^Really cool!

[mcminsen]

Where's the Seabus in Vancouver's diagram?



source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaBus