Transport Minister Robert Poti nixes tolls in Montreal

A group of economists is recommending putting tolls on all bridges leading to Montreal as a way of reducing gridlock.

Canada'sEcofiscalCommission, athink-tank with headquartersatMcGillUniversity, says taxing drivers would encourage more people to use public transit.

But Quebec Transport Minister Robert Poti, who is also responsible for the region of Montreal, rejects thatidea.

He said drivers shouldn't be punished for coming to the city to work.

"What are we offering as an alternative?" Poeti said, adding that theQuebec government is already working on abill that will help address traffic congestion.

He said the bill, which offers a newpublic transit governance system, will be tabled in the next few weeks.

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But ChrisRagan, an economics professor atMcGillUniversity and the head of the commission, said in order to reduce congestion, there needs to be an incentive.

"The standard response to dealing with traffic congestion is that we build more capacity, we build more roads, more bridges, more public transit and those things are great but they actually don'treduce congestion," Ragan said.

"To reduce congestion you need a policy to deal with the underlying incentive."

Driving in from the suburbs

The new study says suburban commuting is at the heart of Montreal's traffic congestion problems, with nearly half of Laval workers commuting into Montreal.

Thirty-six per cent of Longueuil workers do the same.

The study suggests introducing aharmonized bridge tolling system, with toll fees that could be adjusted for peak traffic hours.

In an interview Monday onCBC Montreal'sDaybreak, Ragansuggested high occupancy lanes on Highway 20 and Highway 40 could also get tolls in future.

Raganacknowledged the idea of tolls isn't politically popular, with JustinTrudeaupromisingduring the election campaignto scrap plans for oneon the newChamplainBridge.

Shifting public opinion?

However,Ragan is optimistic public opinion could soon shift.

"The past approaches and the current approacheswhich are building more capacity don't seem to reduce congestion," he said.

He said a pilot project could help convince people tolls work, citing the example of Sweden's capital city.

"Before they introduced a pilot project in Stockholm, there wasn't much public support," he said.

"When it worked quite well and people saw how well it work, public acceptability increased dramatically."

The Ecofiscal Commission, established in 2014,is made up of a dozen prominent economists from across Canada and 18 advisors from political and business backgrounds, including former premier Jean Charest.

The commission gets funding from a mix of corporations and foundations, and itaims to address issues like air quality, greenhouse gas emissionsand road congestion.