Prospects for Urban Road Pricing in Canada
2008; Volume: 2008; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/urb.2008.a249793
ISSN1533-4449
Autores Tópico(s)Smart Parking Systems Research
ResumoWhen it opened to traffic in 1997, Highway 407 in Toronto became the world's first all-electronic, barrier-free toll highway, charging tolls based on vehi- cle type, distance driven, time of day, and day of week. But no comparable highways have been established in Canada since then. Of the 415,600 lane- kilometers of paved public roads in Canada, only 385 kilometers are tolled. 1 Except on Highway 407, the tolls do not vary over time, and no area-based road- pricing scheme exists. Moreover, Highway 407 is privately owned and operated. Road pricing as a tool for internalizing congestion or other traffic-related exter- nalities has therefore not proceeded far in Canada, which lags behind the United States and a number of countries in Europe and Asia with respect to pricing. This paper assesses the prospects for urban road pricing in Canada, focus- ing on the role of road pricing for congestion relief rather than environmental benefits or revenue generation, although revenue generation is given some attention. 2 Because congestion pricing has not been implemented anywhere in Canada and detailed plans have not been developed for any city, the possibilities are relatively wide open. The concept of an optimal implementation path for road pricing has been discussed in the literature, but no general and comprehensive rules have yet been established and it is clear that prescriptions must be tailored to city- specific circumstances and opportunities. Not surprisingly, the case for urban road pricing appears to be strongest in Canada's three largest cities: Toronto,
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