Will Drivers Stand For Road Tolls On DVP & Gardiner?
Posted March 27, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They almost cost David Miller a shot at the mayor’s chair the first time he ran.
Now in his second term, they may make a very much unwanted reappearance.
They’re road tolls and they could be coming to a highway near you -like the Gardiner Expressway and the DVP.
We told you several weeks ago about the possible taxes the city was considering levying to make up for a huge shortfall from both the feds and the province in this month’s budgets. .
One of those was road tolls, especially on the main thoroughfares that chauffeur drivers in and out of the downtown core.
Needless to say, the idea doesn’t thrill them.
“Oh, my God. It would be awful. It would be awful,” declares Yvonne Barrys as she contemplates that reality. “That’s why I don’t take 427 because three exits costs me 5 bucks.”
The city projects taxing the Gardiner and the DVP could bring in a whopping $75 million a year.
Politicians know you won’t like them. But they also know that like gas prices, you may just be forced to pay them. It all comes with the new City of Toronto Act which allows the Big Smoke to lay its own levies for the very first time.
“These revenue tools are for city building so we’re talking about our roads, our parks, the culture of the city and climate change initiatives,” explains budget chief Shelley Carroll.
She admits highway tolls are last on the list of measures the city might have to take – including taxes on alcohol, parking, and entertainment tickets – and that it won’t happen soon.
But some drivers insist they could live with it – provided there are concrete results.
“I would accept it if it’s used properly,” agrees one.
“Those of us who drive the Gardiner should pay for its upkeep,” adds another.
You can have your say on the issue when the city holds its public consultations on the budget throughout June. It may take a toll on your free time to be there. But that’s better than the toll you may have to pay everyday heading to work.
Will you still drive the DVP or Gardiner if tolls are imposed? To vote in our WebPoll, click here.
