If you don't like the idea of road tolls on the Gardiner and DVP you're in luck as the project just hit a major snag. As the Toronto Star reports, Premier Kathleen Wynne will not allow the tolls to proceed. Instead, she'll be pledging more funding for local transit.
According to the Star, an official announcement will be made on Friday in Richmond Hill where Wynne will reveal new funding for the TTC as well as other local transit initiatives in the province.
Road tolls in Toronto date back to the 1800s when Torontonians were required to pay fees at various gates scattered around the city. The money was used to help build out the city's road network but was ultimately canceled in 1895.
The idea resurfaced in recent years as a way to fund the city's transit infrastructure and gained momentum when a report was submitted to the city outlining exactly how it could be done.
When Mayor John Tory endorsed the idea in November, a plan later approved by City Council, it seemed tolls were inevitable.
Public opinion also appeared to be in favour of road tolls on the DVP and Gardiner. In a poll conduced by Mainstream Research, 70 per cent of Torontonians said they thought tolls were a good idea.
But now it seems that it was perhaps all just political gamesmanship and a crafty move for Tory and City Council to get the funding from the province they initially sought.
by Staff via blogTO
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