'Just devastating': New data confirms Gardiner Expressway construction eroding commercial travel times
'Just devastating': New data confirms Gardiner Expressway construction eroding commercial travel times
Commercial travel times on the Gardiner have increased a whopping 250 per cent during the morning rush hour since the latest round of expressway repairs began two months ago, new fleet tracking data reveal.
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If some of the traffic (commercial traffic) is more worthy than other traffic (non-commercial traffic), why doesn't the province institute tolls that would naturally clear the unworthy traffic out of the way of the worthy traffic?
This is one way to do it. Of course everyone will hate it even if the remainder moves faster. I think not nearly enough people are aware of the reality that it's isn't feasible for everyone to drive a car at speed in metro areas like Toronto and even most of the GTA. We can't make the roads wide enough to accommodate all the induced demand and still have enough slack left. If most people get this, then the attitudes towards tolls and other prioritizing solutions would likely change too.
Widening roads and Hwys actually does not reduce traffic, most city planers have known this since the 1930s. The concept is called "induced demand".
In its simplicity, as a roadway become wider more people choose to take it for a small amount of time, and then once again traffic builds up to past levels.
Here is a great video that summaries the concept. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHZwOAIect4
This is why the 401 in my opinion is way too wide, it should really be redesign to be more efficient in on/off ramp locations. The collectors and express concept is really poorly implement as well IMO within the Toronto area and there are two many of/on ramps.
The best design on 401 hwy at the moment is a stretch located between the 410 & James Snow Parkway in both directions. Lanes are reduced with a dedicated HOV, and trucking traffic is restricted to the right lane with passing traffic on the left. The right hand lane rarely "disappears" as well, allowing trucking to stick to the right without being pushed out onto a off ramp.
What Ontario really needs is better road classifications, we really lack highspeed roadways, instead we only design "strodes" or Hwys. Where we should really be adding highspeed roads instead (no signalised intersections and no driveways)
Strodes are awfully designed for all road users, from pedestrian traffic (walking/cycling) to automobile traffic.
Some of the older well designed roads we used to have in Toronto unfortunately have been butcher like the Allan Rd and Black Creek Drive.
Think the equivalent of adding signaled lights and pedestrian sidewalks to a highway bad, with a ton of driveways on and off the Hwy.