We take transportation policies personally, and we should. But when it comes to fighting congestion, instead of playing the blame game we need to change the game completely. I have a confession to make: I drive a car. Not all the time. But sometimes. Even though I live five minutes from a subway stop. Even […]
High occupancy vehicle (HOV) and high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are in the news. A temporary network of HOV lanes was in place in the Toronto area during the recent Pan Am and Parapan Am Games (people were divided about this). And Ontario recently announced that it is moving forward with plans to implement HOT […]
Oregon just started a third, voluntary trial of a system that could fundamentally change the way that roads are funded in the State. Under the program, instead of paying per gallon of fuel via the gas tax, drivers pay per mile—and people are signing up. But pricing driving more directly can also drive changes in […]
More choice, less traffic. Let’s have a real conversation about how HOT lanes work and who benefits. Last week, Kathleen Wynne reiterated that HOT lanes (High Occupancy Toll lanes) are on the province’s agenda. She didn’t say where and she didn’t say when, but she did say that planning is in the works and that […]
On this #WonkWednesday we explore the weird policy space between congestion pricing and carbon pricing. This recent Grist article by Ben Adler poses the important question: how best do we align our transportation policies with our climate goals? In doing so, Adler debates the merits of potential distance-based road charging versus existing gas taxes. But […]
The following is an excerpt from The Policy Opportunity of Our Generation: Ecofiscal Reform in Canada’s Provinces and Cities, published in Public Sector Digest, February 2015, and made available online January 15th. This is the third of a four-part blog series that highlights how ecofiscal policies can help cities and provinces conserve water, fight traffic […]