Congestion already costs Toronto drivers time and money. Here’s how tolls could help [Video]

There are no plans for congestion pricing or tolls in Toronto. 

The current Ontario government has made it clear it won’t allow a tax or new toll on any road in the province — and the city isn’t exploring the strategy, either.

But if Toronto is serious about solving the congestion crisis — which costs the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) more than $44 billion a year in economic and social value — some experts say time-dependent road charges are an inevitable piece of the puzzle. 

“Demand keeps increasing, but space for building infrastructure does not,” said Baher Abdulhai, an engineering professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in intelligent transportation systems.

“Congestion pricing is a way to ration demand.”

The final part of CBC Toronto’s three-part series Gridlocked: The Way Out explores why congestion pricing and tolls are so deeply unpopular in Ontario, despite helping ease traffic in other major cities.