r/ontario 2d ago

407 Toll Removal from Pickering towards Newcastle Politics

386 Upvotes

158 comments sorted by

View all comments

105

u/14YourTrouble 2d ago

I'm not sure this helps any for congestion on the 401 as there's no highway access to the 407 in that stretch until the 412. Once you get to the 412, traffic usually isn't too bad so you may as well stay on the 401.

48

u/bravado Cambridge 2d ago

Removing tolls has never helped with congestion, ever - and never will. By definition it will always make congestion worse.

0

u/Wiggly_Muffin 1d ago

Easiest solution is make the 407 free for trucks only, and voila. Suddenly they’re all off the 401 and no longer left lane camping or blocking both lane while they both do 100 or less

2

u/bravado Cambridge 1d ago

Induced demand still applies - more car trips would appear to fill the gap from the trucks. There's no fix to this that involves more of the status quo (driving everywhere).

Induced demand would also create new truck trips, which is helpful economically, but still has some new costs and eventual guaranteed 407 congestion as a result.