I returned to Toronto last week and I've already used the public transit system a number of times. There are “save transit city” posters found (in great numbers) in subways, buses and subway stations. Indeed, they are ubiquitous. Save transit city is a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) initiative putting pressure on the Provincial government to follow through with its promise to fund and expand Toronto’s public transit services. Such public transit expansion includes a number of Light-Rail Transit and rapid transit routes around the city. Alas, billions of dollars (the specifics can be found on their website) have been put on hold due to budgetary constraints and fiscal issues from the Ontario government.
I think the save transit city ad says it really well: “Public Transit is the lifeblood of our city. Torontonians use transit to get to work, social functions, to run errands and attend appointments. Our buses, while good for short trips, are full and overflowing. People in large parts of this city spend hours every day on the TTC.” This message in short, translates into the need for a more efficient public transit system to accommodate for increasing ridership and to limit automobility. Transit City cannot go forward without the Province's funding. We seem extremely reliant on the provincial government don't we?
The time for public transit renewal and revitalization is now! However, funding limitations are ever so problematic for the City of Toronto. What should Toronto do?
While the Province is an indispensable player when it comes to partially financing municipal services and projects, Toronto must be a little more innovative and self-reliant in utilizing policy tools to raise revenue for its public transit system. Specifically, Toronto should turn to electronic road pricing and highway tolls for its congested and overly used Don Valley Parkway (DVP). The DVP (only 15 KM in length) is a highly popular and well used municipal expressway in the city. As the busiest road in the city (carries ~200,000 vehicles a day), it is a perfect target for expressway toll implementation.
Yes it is true, a highway toll for the DVP is an old idea which has been vehemently contested by citizens and politicians, but now, a toll would be well justified especially in an era where public transit ridership has increased and when public transit desperately needs funding.
Designing such a toll for the DVP would require good systematic analysis probably combining the expertise of an inter-professional group composed of economists, civil engineers and planners. All of the DVP’s entry points (401, York Mills, Lawrence, Eglinton etc) would require an electronic tolling system using precision equipment aligned with lasers to take images of a vehicle's licence plate when it enters the DVP and when it leaves. The motorist would be subsequently billed based on the number of kilometers traveled on the DVP.
Let’s do some basic arithmetic:
Let’s say 10,000 cars enter the DVP from Highway 401. To keep the math basic (and to illustrate my point) let’s assume all of these cars travel from the 401 & DVP and exit the DVP at Queen St. This is roughly 9 kilometers. Let’s assume that the toll rate is 75 cents/km.
75 cents x 9 kilomters = $6.75 per car.
10,000 cars x $6.75 = $67,500
Therefore, under this system, the city could raise at least $67,500 per day based on a toll system from only 10,000 cars. The tolls and pricing can be way more sophisticated if need be, based on vehicle size, rush hour times, heavy zones, light zones etc. Check out the Ontario Highway 407 for its highly innovative toll system.
There are so many possibilities here. This is just one idea. Oh and by the way, the DVP would be a great first step in terms of expressway tolls. The 401 is also very congested but the 401, unlike the DVP, is a much longer highway corridor and would face stiff opposition.
Key message: Either way, establishing tolls on the DVP is a step in the right direction. It is self-sufficient (less reliance on the province), the city can significantly reduce congestion on its busiest road, reduce air pollution and most importantly, Toronto could allocate a percentage of the revenue raised from this initiative to Transit City and other public transit projects.
Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Don_Valley_Parkway_%281%29.jpg
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