Feds shelve ‘congestion pricing’ study: Report

OTTAWA — Transport Canada has cancelled a study that examines what role tolling and "congestion" pricing could have on the country’s transportation system.

According to CTV News, Ottawa officials say they temporarily halted the project for "strictly procedural" reasons, while critics suggest the study was shelved to avoid angering road users before a federal election this October.

A document explaining the study says that the effectiveness of road tolls and other fees, such as parking and fuel taxes, have not yet been studied in Canada.

Congestion pricing has been fashionable in Europe. London, England, for example, charges a toll of eight pounds (C$15) to enter the city’s core.

New York recently tried to impose a heft charge on vehicles entering Manhattan during peak weekday hours, but that plan was scrapped by state lawmakers.

Closer to home, a Toronto task force recommended tolls and variable rates to battle congestion in that city. Metrolinx, formerly known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, also floated the idea of restricting truck deliveries in the downtown area during peak hours.

That proposal isn’t a new one, as at least one Toronto City Councillor has been pushing for such a truck ban for years.