Blumenthal suggests toll to enter peninsula

[sdm]

Blumenthal suggests toll to enter peninsula

By Our Staff
Wed. Feb 11 - 7:21 AM
City hall should consider imposing a fee on people driving on and off peninsular Halifax, regional council heard Tuesday.

Coun. Jerry Blumenthal (Halifax North End) said such a toll could discourage vehicle use and encourage carpooling, helping to ease traffic congestion on routes to and from downtown.

"I hope . . . we’ll start considering what they do in London, England, with the idea of charging (drivers) to come in to the peninsula," he said, "because the peninsula is just not a thruway to get downtown."

Mr. Blumenthal was commenting at council’s committee of the whole during a discussion on transportation in Halifax Regional Municipality. His reference to England concerned city leaders there charging people when they drive through central London during peak hours.

The toll cost about $11 when it was set up in 2003, according to The Canadian Press, and in the first several months it cut city traffic by about 16 per cent. As a result, car trips were generally quicker than before and municipal buses were better able to make their way around London’s central core, CP said.

At Halifax city hall, councillors heard that metro’s commuters are travelling alone far too often. Municipal staff said carpooling is being encouraged.

The city has also beefed up its bus service, is working on making metro more bicycle-friendly and promotes active transportation (such as walking).

Transportation is one of regional council’s so-called "focus" areas for 2009. Other priorities include public safety, community planning and infrastructure.

Councillors heard that a business case for the proposed fast ferry in Bedford will be presented next month. Politicians are also looking at establishing a transportation advisory committee and asked staff to prepare a report on the proposed group’s mandate and membership

[Haliguy]

You have got to be kidding me. That would kill the downtown. Were not London England. These people don't know what they are talking about.

[phrenic]

I'm all for discouraging single-passenger vehicle use whenever possible, but I only see this as hurting the downtown.

[MonctonRad]

Speaking as an outsider who visits Halifax 4-6 times a year, I can state that this would be a very large disincentive for me and would likely reduce the frequency of my visits quite significantly. Bad idea.

[hfx_chris]

Doesn't matter anyway, this would never pass a vote anyway.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Doesn't matter anyway, this would never pass a vote anyway.

Don't be so sure, remember who you are dealing with, i.e. a group of brain-dead morons led by a doofus who couldn't manage a flea circus. This is the same bunch who spent months debating about how to herd cats.

[spaustin]

If we had a viable transit alternative... maybe, but right now you would be punishing people without offering them an alternative choice. No need to worry though, hell will freeze over before this one would pass. With only four Peninsula councillors there is just no way it could. The other councillors would never support it given it would hurt their constituents. A lot of fuss over an idea that has zero probability of happening.

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Don't be so sure, remember who you are dealing with, i.e. a group of brain-dead morons led by a doofus who couldn't manage a flea circus. This is the same bunch who spent months debating about how to herd cats.

Give them a little credit. They may be idiots, but they're no fools. This would serve nothing but to ensure none of them get re-elected.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Give them a little credit. They may be idiots, but they're no fools. This would serve nothing but to ensure none of them get re-elected.

The last bunch did more than enough not to get re-elected, and look at what happened. Most of the public don't care and don't pay attention to this stuff.

[waterloowarrior]

There are cities smaller than London with congestion charges or tolls for going to the core, but in order for this to work in Halifax:

1. They would need extreme improvements to transit... incl. comprehensive rail connections to the suburbs
2. They would need extreme improvement for active transportation
3. They would need growth limits/greenbelts etc to ensure offices, retail etc didn't migrate to the suburbs
4. They would need to stop many of the road/highway projects

Otherwise this would just drive people away from the core.

[Dmajackson]

Not for all entrances but for the two most busy ones;

Gearing up for gridlock
Rush hour toll hike at bridges floated as Halifax tries to cut congestion
By BILL POWER Business Reporter
Wed. Feb 25 - 5:57 AM

BRIDGE BITS:

•Angus L. Macdonald Bridge opened in 1955.

•A. Murray MacKay Bridge opened in 1970.

•Debt on the two bridges at the end of 2008 totalled $57 million.

•A 40 per cent increase in bridge traffic in the past 25 years.

•Last increase in bridge tolls was 1992.

Source: Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission.

Commuters may soon pay a premium to cross one of the Halifax Harbour bridges during rush hour.

The possibility of peak-period tolls was one concept to ease congestion on the bridges that was shared with members of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

Steve Snider, general manager and chief executive officer of the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission, raised the possibility during a presentation to the group.

"If we don’t consider options like this and make tough and bold decisions, we will be confronting the reality of building another harbour crossing or sitting in gridlock," Mr. Snider told chamber members.

The possibility of sitting in a gridlock during rush hour — and actually paying a premium for the privilege — was just one scenario Mr. Snider shared with chamber members after pointing out traffic volumes on the harbour spans continue to increase and viable solutions to the problem remain out of sight.

The concept of a third span — either a bridge or a tunnel costing more than $1 billion — was floated by the commission last year. But that possibility did not pick up much traction at a series of public meetings held around Halifax and Dartmouth in the fall of last year.

Mr. Snider said bridge congestion will continue to increase mostly because of the "collective dependence" on the automobile shared by people in the region.

He said "road pricing" is just one of a number of ways people can be encouraged to seek alternative modes of transportation.

"If we don’t make changes, we will face gridlock or the need to build very expensive infrastructure," he said.

The possibility of a costly harbour crossing that would connect the Woodside area of Dartmouth with south-end Halifax was raised in a consultant’s study released by the commission in March 2008.

A third crossing will be required between 2016 and 2026 at current rates of growth, according to the study.

Mr. Snider said the best way to delay construction of a third crossing is to get a more effective public transit system in place to encourage more people to abandon their automobiles.

He said the commission plans to explore options for road pricing, including possible implementation of peak-period fees such as those in effect at some of the world’s busiest bridges and tunnels, including the George Washington Bridge.

Commuters pay a couple of dollars extra each way to cross that bridge during rush hour. They get a big discount if there is more than one person in the vehicle under a carpool plan maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The possibility of a similar strategy will be explored in a study to be done for the commission this year.

Mr. Snider said the commission will issue a request for submissions to conduct a study on the impact of peak-period tolling and other road-pricing strategies to reducing congestion on the bridges.

"If we are to effectively manage our transportation infrastructure, we must consider managing the entire system like a utility."

[spaustin]

A hike in peak hour fees will be less effective now than before since everyone is pretty much using MacPass. Before you would see your money or tokens disappear so, had it been in effect, you would have really noticed a peak hour charge. When it's debited off your bank account though and, in the case of many users, is topped up automatically, it's less noticeable and will have less impact. Still, not a bad idea.

[Spitfire75]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Commuters pay a couple of dollars extra each way to cross that bridge during rush hour. They get a big discount if there is more than one person in the vehicle under a carpool plan maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

That's not a bad idea actually.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

Originally Posted by spaustin

A hike in peak hour fees will be less effective now than before since everyone is pretty much using MacPass. Before you would see your money or tokens disappear so, had it been in effect, you would have really noticed a peak hour charge. When it's debited off your bank account though and, in the case of many users, is topped up automatically, it's less noticeable and will have less impact. Still, not a bad idea.

I disagree. I think the MacPass makes it feasible, you couldn't possibly have done this with tokens. Would you have had different rush hour and off-peak tokens? Even if it's only 25 cents (33%) more in rush hour people will notice because they'll be filling their MacPasses more often or have larger top-ups. Also how many people HAVE to be on the bridge in rush hour - even if just 10% of trips are discretionary shifting some of those to non-peak hours could make a huge difference. It could be an inexpensive yet powerful incentive.

I think it's a great idea but I won't hold my breath to see congestion pricing in Nova Scotia.

[Dmajackson]

Variable pricing on bridge tolls may cut traffic — for awhile

By STEVE PROCTOR Business Editor
Tue. Mar 3 - 6:30 AM
When Florida real estate agent Miguel Acosta rolls across the Cape Coral Bridge he doesn’t really know what the trip to nearby Fort Myers is going to cost him.

The bridge operates on a "variable pricing" model where the toll changes depending on the time of day. At peak periods, the 25,000 commuters crossing the Caloosahatchee River may pay as much as $2. At times when traffic is light, the fee drops to $1.50.

Last week Steve Snider, the head of the Halifax Dartmouth Bridge Commission, used the Florida bridge as an example of the kind of tolling regime that might be considered for the two Halifax bridges to reduce rush-hour congestion.

He said the traffic status quo was unacceptable and the bridge commission will study a range of congestion-reducing measures, ranging from hiking the toll during peak periods, offering a discount to drivers during off hours or charging tolls in one direction only.

With 25 bridges, tunnels and sections of toll highways in the United States offering a combination of discounts and premiums, there is no shortage of models to study. Some are wildly successful, others less so.

Susan Hopwood, manager of the tolling program for the Cape Coral Bridge, said when the discount program began 10 years ago, there was a significant change in traffic patterns, with seniors in particular moving appointment times to take advantage of the toll savings.

In recent years, however, she said rush-hour traffic volumes have returned to pre-discount levels.

"With the number of layoffs and foreclosures we’ve seen in our area, no one with a job is asking their boss if they can change their hours. No one is going to ask if they can come in a little late."

Mr. Acosta said he initially tried to travel at non-peak hours but it quickly became inconvenient.

"I just go when I need to go now."

Variable pricing first emerged in Norway in the early 1990s. A study of its effectiveness showed that a 50 per cent increase in tolls reduced peak morning traffic by 43 per cent.

When variable tolling made its way to the U.S. in the mid-’90s, a study by Wilbur Smith Associates concluded peak-period pricing could be used to reduce congestion, but effectiveness was dependent on the mix of surcharges and discounts involved.

It concluded the public would eventually accept premium rates at times of high demand the same way it accepts them on services like electricity, telephones, holiday resorts and airfares.

The study’s conclusion aside, Toll Roads News, a specialty publication focusing on transportation tolling, documents considerable continued public and political resistance to hiking fees during peak traffic times.

In the January 2008 edition, an article details how officials with the Bay Bridge in California spent years crafting a proposal for congestion pricing only to see the effort abandoned when they couldn’t find a politician willing to propose it to the state legislature.

A similar situation occurred in New York recently, even though the cancellation cost the city more then $300 million in federal funding.

In Canada, the company operating Highway 407 north of Toronto has been experimenting with congestion pricing. It recently hiked fees on certain sections of the highway at peak times. The company argues the value of the time savings more than offsets the cost of the increase, but acknowledges it may be a several more months before it can tell if commuters agree.

Mr. Snider said one of the biggest challenges of introducing an effective system in Halifax would be coming up with a differential between peak and non-peak hours that would make people alter their driving habits.

"Would a quarter do it? No." he said in an interview. "We would have to figure out what might, and then go to the (Nova Scotia) Utility and Review Board and see if they would approve that kind of change."

Mr. Snider cautioned that any tolling change would only be part of a larger solution. Other issues that need to be addressed would have to include improved transit, more emphasis on car pooling, parking strategies and more options for walkers and cyclists

[someone123]

The traffic itself is already a big incentive to avoid driving at rush hour if you can help it. I doubt an extra quarter on the toll would really make any difference. Sounds like yet another useless thing that will be debated ad nauseam.

The councillor suggesting the London-style congestion fee is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and for council that's really saying something. In fact, the HRM knife drawer I think is full of spoons, with Blumenthal being one of the more bent ones.

I wish the downtown/North End would elect some sane councillors.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by someone123

The traffic itself is already a big incentive to avoid driving at rush hour if you can help it. I doubt an extra quarter on the toll would really make any difference. Sounds like yet another useless thing that will be debated ad nauseam.

The councillor suggesting the London-style congestion fee is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and for council that's really saying something. In fact, the HRM knife drawer I think is full of spoons, with Blumenthal being one of the more bent ones.

I wish the downtown/North End would elect some sane councillors.

LMAO

But if you guys elect sane councillors who will Bedford get? Outhit has to be the sanest of them all

But seriously I'll support this if all of the extra money made is directed towards green initiatives or public transit.

[Haliguy]

A couple dollars extra you have got to be kidding me. I am dead set against such a dumb idea.

[pnightingale]

Originally Posted by someone123

In fact, the HRM knife drawer I think is full of spoons, with Blumenthal being one of the more bent ones.

Seriously though, if they are going to charge extra during rush hour, the city damn well better provide me with another way to get to where I'm going, cause right now Metro Transit doesn't do it.

That being said, even if this does come into effect, it will be years before this gets approved. Maybe by then Metro Transit will have some more funding....