Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper
First off, there is no need to resort to personal insults because someone is playing devil's advocate.
The concept of a toll is a simple one. Now tell me the simple way that you would implement it to ensure maximum compliance. A law with no practical enforcement method is essentially useless.
You can't put a tollbooth on every road that leads into the city. Such a system would probably cost too much to implement and would seem draconian in measure.
Explain how these tolls would be implemented as it is impractical to put tollbooths (essentially a checkpoint at which those who would pay would enter and those who wouldn't would be denied entry) at the city limits due to the limited number of major thoroughfares in Calgary.
Bertuzzied originally said "I want a toll for people who live in Airdrie, Okotoks and Cochrane but work in Calgary too."
How do you distinguish between people visiting Calgary for pleasure instead of work? Do you charge tourists because they are also using the infrastructure and not paying for it?
How do you charge out of town workers? Is it a flat fee? Does it matter if someone works in the downtown core or a half of a kilometre inside the city limits? Do you charge per vehicle or per person? Without a camera checkpoint (photograph of license plate and/or sticker pass) or a tollbooth how is this accomplished?
Do you fine people without a sticker if they have an out of town residence listed on their vehicle registration when you find out they don't have the pass? What if those people are simply driving through Calgary and not stopping?
These are all questions that I doubt any member of City Council would want to address. Thus, this is why a toll on people who work in Calgary yet reside elsewhere will. never. happen.
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Have you ever left Calgary? There are literally hundreds of cities around the world that have solved this apparent Gordian knot and imposed tolls on major roadways. Again, not a complicated system.
1) Place toll plazas on roadways
2) Have people pay tolls
3) Profit
You don't even need the ???? step.
How do you distinguish between people visiting Calgary for pleasure instead of work? You don't, purpose of use plays no part.
Do you charge tourists because they are also using the infrastructure and not paying for it? Yes, why wouldn't you. Use is use.
How do you charge out of town workers? Is it a flat fee? Does it matter if someone works in the downtown core or a half of a kilometre inside the city limits? Do you charge per vehicle or per person? Without a camera checkpoint (photograph of license plate and/or sticker pass) or a tollbooth how is this accomplished? You charge them by having them pay a toll, that's sort of the point. Whether that's a cash payment or ideally through the use of a pass system/license plate photographs. The destination only matters if you setup progressive tolling based on portion of road used, which is done by placing toll stations at exits. Charge per person? Why would something aimed at road usage charge per person? That makes absolutely no sense. And how you got the idea that toll roads would be setup without actually using a tolling system is rather odd.
Do you fine people without a sticker if they have an out of town residence listed on their vehicle registration when you find out they don't have the pass? What sticker? What pass? It seems you've implemented a tolling system here without actually telling me what it is. If you need a pass to pay a toll, which is the setup in many cities, and don't have one then yes you are fined/billed for the cost of the toll. Would it make more sense to just let those people cruise through for free?
What if those people are simply driving through Calgary and not stopping? Again, destination doesn't matter. I didn't stop the last time I crossed the Triborough bridge, that would probably be a bad idea, it doesn't mean I don't have to pay for the use of the infrastructure.
I'm not sure that a toll system makes sense for Calgary, largely because i would have to be implemented on Deerfoot which is still provincially managed afaik, but a toll system is certainly not the complicated issue you've dreamed up and definitely isn't something that impinges upon any notions of this being a free country, which is in all honesty one of the more ridiculous things I have ever read.