TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Trucking Association is questioning the latest toll increase on Hwy. 407, which runs north of Toronto. The recent increase was the second in nine months.

“It appears this announcement is accompanied by little justification other than the perceived ability to collect higher toll rates,” says OTA president David Bradley.

“The debate regarding the 407 centred on the fact that … we wouldn’t have seen the 407 completed for another 25 years (without tolls). Regrettably, the only way to facilitate the completion of what we considered to be a vital economic corridor was to accept tolling.”

The latest increase strains any understanding, he adds.

“While it is true that alternatives to the highway do exist, the apparent lack of concern by the government is disturbing,” Bradley says.

“This is not dissimilar to the hands-off reaction by the government when service concerns with respect to the operation of the highway initially became a public issue following the highway’s sale,” he adds. “The road user cannot be expected to continually dig deeper.” n