Drivers should pay congestion fees, Rae says: Knowledge Driven Revolution

Related - Toll roads for Quebec. Excited?

Drivers will have to pay traffic congestion charges and higher prices for gas and parking if Canada is to reduce gridlock and pollution, Liberal leadership hopeful Bob Rae said Friday.

Consistently high fuel costs is the only way to keep pressure on the auto industry to be more innovative and fuel-efficient, Rae told a Mississauga, Ont., audience.

Ultimately, it's drivers that will have to start bearing the true costs of transportation through increased parking fees, congestion charges and, possibly, toll roads, said Rae -- who added those costs should be offset by an income tax cut.

"Until we see a transformation in the internal combustion engine, and we don't know how long that is going to take, we do have to reduce travel time and increase the use of public transportation,'' Rae said following a speech to the Ontario Institute of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada.

Rae pointed to London, England as an example other Canadian cities might want to follow. There, drivers pay a charge for going in or through the city core.

The congestion charge has reduced traffic in London, Rae said in response to a question on public transit.

"That's something that cities are going to need to look at,'' said Rae, adding government must also improve public transit and give people more alternatives to driving their cars.

The Canadian Automobile Association said they couldn't comment on Rae's suggestions, or the idea of congestion charges in Canada, until they had seen a formal proposal.

The Sierra Club of Canada applauded what they called a "polluter pays'' system. Emilie Moorhouse, the Sierra Club's atmosphere and energy campaigner, said it makes sense to have drivers pay for the pollution they cause.

"We do support something that would encourage people to get out of their cars and use alternatives forms of transportation,'' she said. "Imposing the true cost of pollution is one such way of doing that.''

But Moorhouse said there must be more investment in public transit and bicycle lanes to make them viable alternatives for drivers.

"The city needs to have the appropriate infrastructure in place,'' she said.

Rae also released his environmental platform Friday, which included a pledge to try meeting Canada's Kyoto objectives for 2012 and committed to reducing the country's emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. Results would be tracked and reported publicly, he said.

Rae said he would also create a long-term, federal "Green Infrastructure'' program which would help provinces and municipalities with projects that reduce emissions.

"Having a green infrastructure program is the most important thing we can do in terms of increasing the amount of public transit and the amount of options that are available,'' he said.

Rae heads into next month's Liberal leadership convention in second-place, with Toronto MP Michael Ignatieff in the lead.

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HOME Canadians Should Pay NOT to be Poisoned: NDP V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	Drivers should pay congestion fees, Rae says CP November 08, 2006 Related - Toll roads for Quebec. Excited? Drivers will have to pay traffic congestion charges and higher prices for gas and parking if Canada is to reduce gridlock and pollution, Liberal leadership hopeful Bob Rae said Friday. Consistently high fuel costs is the only way to keep pressure on the auto industry to be more innovative and fuel-efficient, Rae told a Mississauga, Ont., audience. Ultimately, it's drivers that will have to start bearing the true costs of transportation through increased parking fees, congestion charges and, possibly, toll roads, said Rae -- who added those costs should be offset by an income tax cut. "Until we see a transformation in the internal combustion engine, and we don't know how long that is going to take, we do have to reduce travel time and increase the use of public transportation,'' Rae said following a speech to the Ontario Institute of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada. Rae pointed to London, England as an example other Canadian cities might want to follow. There, drivers pay a charge for going in or through the city core. The congestion charge has reduced traffic in London, Rae said in response to a question on public transit. "That's something that cities are going to need to look at,'' said Rae, adding government must also improve public transit and give people more alternatives to driving their cars. The Canadian Automobile Association said they couldn't comment on Rae's suggestions, or the idea of congestion charges in Canada, until they had seen a formal proposal. The Sierra Club of Canada applauded what they called a "polluter pays'' system. Emilie Moorhouse, the Sierra Club's atmosphere and energy campaigner, said it makes sense to have drivers pay for the pollution they cause. "We do support something that would encourage people to get out of their cars and use alternatives forms of transportation,'' she said. "Imposing the true cost of pollution is one such way of doing that.'' But Moorhouse said there must be more investment in public transit and bicycle lanes to make them viable alternatives for drivers. "The city needs to have the appropriate infrastructure in place,'' she said. Rae also released his environmental platform Friday, which included a pledge to try meeting Canada's Kyoto objectives for 2012 and committed to reducing the country's emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. Results would be tracked and reported publicly, he said. Rae said he would also create a long-term, federal "Green Infrastructure'' program which would help provinces and municipalities with projects that reduce emissions. "Having a green infrastructure program is the most important thing we can do in terms of increasing the amount of public transit and the amount of options that are available,'' he said. Rae heads into next month's Liberal leadership convention in second-place, with Toronto MP Michael Ignatieff in the lead. Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
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