Experts say PC promise to eliminate Halifax bridge tolls will worsen congestion

The Progressive Conservatives have promised to remove the tolls on the two bridges that span Halifax harbour, but a tolling expert,a traffic engineer and a longtime head of the organization that oversees the bridges say the move will likely make congestion worse.

Deny Sullivan, an economist who conducts traffic and revenue projections for toll road investors worldwide, said the move would likely make traffic tie-ups worse because tolls generally reduce traffic volumes, while removing them has the opposite effect.

When he heard of the PC promise, Sullivanhad an immediate reaction.

"I thought it was unfortunate," he said. "The first thought that came to mind for me was just that this is going to make the [traffic]problem worse."

Sullivan co-authoreda report published this monththat examined 76 toll projects in 16 countries.The report focused primarily on how imposing tolls drives down bridge and road traffic, but Sullivan noted a 27 per cent increase in volume when the British Columbia government took the tolls off the Port Mann Bridge in Surrey in 2017.

Houston's reasons

On Tuesday, PC Leader Tim Houston said removing the tolls would save Nova Scotians both time and money.

"We know that the cost of the toll itself is just one more financial expense in a world of many, many one-more financial expenses," he said. "But we also know that the time cost of the toll is a tax on your most precious asset, your time."

WATCH |Tolling expert, former bridge exec question PC promise to eliminate tolls:

Why some say the PCs pledge to axe bridge tolls won't have intended impact

11 days ago

Duration 2:03

As Jean Laroche reports, some say the move to get rid of bridge tolls wouldn't save drivers much time. In fact, it could make congestion worse.

Asked Wednesday whylifting the tolls would ease congestion, Houston explained his reasoning.

"If you don't have to stop at a toll booth, it'll save you time," he said.

When asked about the research that went into the decision, Houston said he "relied on a number of experts who assured me that if you have to stop and are not moving forward, it's taking you longer."

Sullivan disagreed.

"Trying to push more trips through those bridges, even without the barriers, I would expect congestion to get worse," he said.

A traffic engineer weighs in

Peter Lougheed, an engineer who specializes inroad safety, told CBC Radio'sInformation Morning Halifax host Portia Clark on Thursday that the toll plazas "basically manage the traffic" by slowing vehicles down before they begin to merge into the one of two available lanes on the bridge.

Removing the tolls could create a safety issue, he said.

"You're still only going to be able to get the same number of vehicles over the bridge. So you're not going to savea lot of time or congestion,but you're going to have a mess you're going to have to work with," saidLougheed.

Healso saidcrossing without tolls could be more appealing to those wholimited their use of the bridgesbecause of the cost.

"If somebody lives on the Dartmouth side and normally only goes to Halifax to shop once a week, and hits three different locations, they may now go over the bridge three times a week," he said. "You're increasing the number of vehicles travelling over the bridge."

According to Lougheed,that could have a ripple effect across the entire road network.

What the bridge commission's former CEO says

Steven Snider spent 28 years with an office window overlooking the Macdonald Bridge toll plaza. Now retired, he was the CEO of theHalifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission (now known as Halifax Harbour Bridges).

"The bridge commission is running about 82 per cent MacPass right now," said Snider in a telephone interview from New York. "Given my years of viewing the toll plaza from my office, I don't think it's going to make a big difference."

Hesaid traffic backups generally happened on theapproaches to the bridge, not at the toll plaza.