Toll bridges required to have a free alternative
Q: Why is it the only bridge that has a toll is the one on Highway 25 linking Laval and Terrebonne to Montreal? Why would all other bridges and tunnels not have the same? Why should the new Champlain Bridge have no tolls? Are the citizens who take Highway 25 the only second-class citizens and why should they be the only ones in the region to pay tolls? Lorenzo Spinelli, Rivière-des-Prairies
A: There are two bridges with tolls in the Montreal region: the Highway 25 toll bridge and the Serge Marcil Bridge in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on Highway 30, a route that allows motorists to bypass the island of Montreal to the west. Both highways were built as public-private partnerships, meaning private companies are the ones that paid to build them and they collect toll fees to recoup the investment. Under the agreements, the private partners receive a fixed amount from the tolls every year, and any fees collected above that amount goes to the province. In both cases, there are alternatives to the bridges, which can be used free of charge, said Nomba Danielle, a spokesperson for Transport Quebec. “According to the policy in place, if there is a toll bridge, there must be a reasonable alternative without a toll in place,” she said. For Highway 25, motorists can detour to the PieIX Bridge or the Papineau Bridge off Highway 19. As for Highway 30, motorists can use the Monseigneur-Langlois Bridge in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. There is a way around the tolls, however; since Jan. 1 electric cars are permitted to use the bridges free of charge as part of the government’s plan to encourage their use. The government also is not studying whether to add tolls to other bridges or tunnels in the region, she said. As for the new Champlain Bridge, it was originally supposed to have a toll after it opens in late 2018, but the new Liberal government has scrapped that plan. The bridge is not being built as a public-private consortium. The federal government is paying a fee for construction. The toll would have been directed to the federal government’s general revenue stream.
Note: Two weeks ago, Squeaky Wheels reported police have no authority to ticket cars for speeding or running through stop signs if the infraction occurs in a parking lot because it is considered to be private property and, therefore, the Highway Safety Code does not apply. That response elicited several other questions about police issuing tickets on private property, like the one below.
Q: Last October, my car was parked on my driveway and a police officer came by and gave me a ticket of $162 for (idling my car). Is he allowed to issue me a ticket even though my car was on my driveway and I was not driving it on the street? A: Idling is a municipal infraction, said Montreal police Constable Laurent Gingras. It was passed by the city of Montreal and the rule states motorists are not allowed to keep their cars idling for more than three minutes when it is warmer than minus 10 degrees C, as observed at Trudeau airport. Diesel cars can remain running for five minutes at most, Gingras said. Because it is a municipal bylaw, it is applicable everywhere, including driveways, which are not public roads, Gingras said. There are exceptions to the idling rule: cars with frost on their windows after the three-minute period, emergency vehicles and armoured trucks, hybrid cars and electric or hydrogen fuel cell cars.