Hamilton commuters among those to pay the price for Gardiner tolls
Here are some of your thoughts about paying a toll to drive into Toronto
Toronto Mayor John Tory pitched plans for road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, key highways that carry tens of thousands of commuters into the city.
Thousands of those affected will be Hamilton commuters who drive into Toronto each day.
In a speech, Tory introduced the proposal as part of "addressing Toronto's fiscal health," at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
The proposed tolls, approximately $2 each time a single vehicle uses the highway, would raise around $200-million for long-needed transit relief and major infrastructure projects within Toronto.
"Analysis by City staff indicates that 40 per cent of trips on the Gardiner and DVP originate from outside Toronto's borders while the City pays 100 per cent of the roadways' operating and maintenance costs," said a statement from Mayor Tory's office.
For Hamilton residents who commute into the city for work or pleasure, and businesses that rely on the highways to transport goods in and out of Toronto, that may be a price too high to pay.
According to 2011 Statistics Canada data, 6,835 people commute from Hamilton to Toronto daily.
"Fairness includes looking at options that reduce the impact on Toronto residents by asking everyone who visits our city or benefits from its services to help shoulder a small part of the cost," said Tory during his speech.
"By day, the number of people in this city goes up dramatically with all the people who come to work or to visit, all the while using the services paid for by Toronto taxpayers."
<a href="https://twitter.com/CBCHamilton">@CBCHamilton</a> I have to commute into Toronto and it makes perfect sense to me
—@eatboots<a href="https://twitter.com/CBCHamilton">@CBCHamilton</a> Maybe Toronto Council and Mayor Tory need to control their spending. Keep fleecing tax payers and residents.
—@SarahWPoljanski<a href="https://twitter.com/CBCHamilton">@CBCHamilton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCNews">@CBCNews</a> it's a good way to promote working in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash">#HamOnt</a>
—@Cam_Galindothis will slow shit down but the rebuild was very expensive, again nobody's fault <a href="https://t.co/aUDPzVz3zV">https://t.co/aUDPzVz3zV</a>
—@JusticeShellAnd the flip side--how did TO taxpayers feel about subsidizing the commutes of non-taxpayers living 70km away? <a href="https://t.co/CUypyYToHu">https://t.co/CUypyYToHu</a>
—@BaysideBadger
That number is widely expected to have gone up as property prices have skyrocketed in Canada's biggest city over the last few years, the effect of which has spilled over into neighbouring cities such as Hamilton.
In addition, people drive in for plays, sporting events concerts and many other attractions in the city.
It's not clear whether the tolls would apply to trucks or other commercial traffic in and out of Toronto.
Representatives from the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce said they had no comment regarding the matter, while Mayor Eisenberger was not available to answer questions regarding the proposed road tolls by late Thursday.
How will the proposed toll affect your commute or other driving choices? Comment below, vote in our poll or tell on twitter and Facebook.