We've got gridlock. What are we going to do about it? Too many motorists and politicians end up being merely reactive, fighting any attempt to take away road space for other uses, or putting more funds into transit and cycling. Coming next month to Toronto is Transport Futures 2009, a Toronto-based conference on road pricing and other financial measures to make the link between motorists using the road and what we pay. This will be the place to hear about the big picture.
Transport Futures provides a non-partisan venue where road pricing, distance-based insurance, parking and other financial measures are rationally discussed by government, business, labour organizations, NGOs, professional associations, academia and citizens-at-large.
At this year's forum you can:
- hear a range of government and business perspectives on public attitudes towards road pricing through international case studies and other cutting-edge research
- debate key road pricing issues relating to social equity, taxation, technology, governance and investment;
- provide recommendations for and against road pricing in Ontario;
- network with government, business, labour, academic and non-profit representatives working on transportation and urban development issues.
The experts:
- Andrew Price, Halcrow Consulting, United Kingdom
- Ferry Smith, Royal Dutch (Automobile) Touring Club, The Netherlands
- Imad Nassereddine, 407 ETR Concession Company, Canada
- Patrick DeCarlu-Souza, Federal Highway Administration, United States
- Robin Lindsay, University of Alberta, Canada
Seating is limited. Early Bird Rates available until Oct. 31st.
Though the cost may be prohibitive for some, you may be interested in last year's forum and reading some of the presentations.
Big cities like London are forging ahead with even more ambitious schemes. The new mayor, Boris Johnson, is proposing (or his advisors are) a "£1 a mile toll" for motorists anywhere in London.
Comments
Tom Flaherty
The Price is Right
Mon, 10/26/2009 - 21:57Listening to the radio today before leaving work -"all routes are delayed, there are serious build-ups on all major routes", nothing new eh?
The conditions are near perfect for a road toll system in Toronto:
- massive congestion on our roads & highways
- no room to build new roads, and no money to build them
- air pollution in the city core is out of control
- Toronto is a city strapped for cash
Before City Council decides that raising property tax on every household is the only way to go, I would rather ask those driving in and out of the city to give their fair share.
Ben
Eloquence embodied in blog comment form!
Tue, 10/27/2009 - 11:15Well put! Now if only well reasoned arguments beat out social inertia...
electric
A livable city
Tue, 10/27/2009 - 01:06If Toronto wants to become a better place to live they need to make cycling and transit a priority and cut the crap with the cars.
Message to Toronto, don't try to run your city like it is a suburb! You'll never beat the burbs at their own game. Play to the strengths of a high-density population or face the negative consequences of putting high-density housing in areas with low-density transportation solutions.
Toujours (not verified)
How dare city council raise
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 12:17How dare city council raise property taxes to fund initiatives that we'll all benefit from! The only sane solution would be to tax people we reflexively hate: drivers!!! C'mon :P
The city needs to get behind transit and cycling funding in a HUGE way, and that's not going to happen with snippy funding shell-games. We all have a vested interest in creating a better Toronto..."not from my pocket" doesn't seem like a very civic-minded gesture. Oh but hey, you've got a bike — guess you're doing enough already.
The Pedaller (not verified)
Bike - Just Do It
Sun, 11/01/2009 - 19:45Whether you live deep in suburbia or closer to the city centre, there are bike savvy methods in need of development.
Bike to the Train Station,
Bike To Work,
Carry a Folding Bike on Public Transit,
Hang your Bike on a Bus Rack,
Etc..
There ARE alternatives.
Maybe it's Road Tolls, or
a Parking Surcharge, or
a Reduction of Parking Spaces, or
Eliminating Road Ways., or
Better Cycling Facilites.
Or maybe it's a combination of al these things.
Either way, I know that a more efficient transit network is reliant on seeking alternatives to autos.
Tone (not verified)
Tolling it probably the future
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 11:19The problem is, this needs to be a provincial initiative. Toronto already has the ability to put tolls on Toronto-area roads, but fear (and probably rightly so) that doing so would simply drive business and economic development outside the city.
Moreover, Toronto doesn't have the ability to strengthen the alternatives (i.e. GO Transit). Charging more for people to get around without providing viable alternatives is bad planning and bad policy.
That said, given the obvious challenges in urban areas, even a GTA-wide tolling for highways, with funds earmarked for vastly improved public transit seems like something that will have to happen sooner or later. It would be much better if we started working towards that now (it would send the right signals for development planning and help people make good long-term choices). But, its far more likely that this will only become polictically "sellable" once the problem gets to a crisis point -- either widespread gridlock, a huge rise in energy costs, or both.