How best to administer Toronto toll roads

Re We’re driving down the road to tolls, Sept. 25

Christopher Hume speaks of the impending toll on drivers for use of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner. This is an excellent idea.

Toronto residents currently pay taxes to maintain roads in Toronto. So, when the toll system is set up, have it identify non-Toronto residents (i.e., those who pay no tax to Toronto) through their vehicle registration and surcharge the non-residents above and beyond any toll charged to Toronto drivers.

With any luck, this will push these freeloading drivers into public transit and relieve traffic congestion and volume.

While they are at it, city stewards should institute a plate (or tax payer-paying) recognition system for parking to identify non-residents of Toronto who use Green P lots. Either discount posted rates for Toronto residents and/ or surcharge non-residents for the use of these city-owned lots.

For the record, although I formerly lived in Toronto and paid taxes there for over 40 years, I no longer do so and would gladly use transit or pay the tolls for occasional access to less traffic chaos. David Bourque, Grafton, Ont. Many Ontarians have written in to the Star arguing that gasoline taxes are a fair way to pay for our public roads. But they’re not. Today cars have drastically different fuel efficiency.

A Toyota Prius owner (20 km/L) and a Chevrolet Express owner (5 km/L) both pay the same amount of fuel taxes if they each buy 50 litres of gasoline. However, the Prius owner gets to drive on four times more kilometres of road than the Express owner because he owns a more fuel-efficient car.

Working-class Canadians should not be forced to pay for more than their fair share of public roads because they cannot afford new, expensive and more fuel-efficient vehicles.

A fair way to finance our public roads is to charge drivers based on how much they use them and open road tolls can do just that. Taylor Rodrigues, Toronto