TOareaFan
Superstar
That is the exact pricing/congestion model the NDP suggested they were going to use when they commenced construction.407 tolls will match the pace of what people are willing to pay to use the 407.
It's a simple equation. Toll Rate X Number of Vehicles = Income. As you raise the tolls, # of vehicles drops; as you lower the tolls, # of vehicles rises.
They will keep raising the tolls and watching how many people stop taking the highway until the loss in ridership means they are losing money despite the higher tolls. At that point, they stop raising the tolls and wait until more people are taking the highway due to being fed up with congestion on non-toll routes. Then they raise the tolls again until the loss in ridership cuts into their income. Wash, rinse, repeat. Supply and demand 101.
I still remember the minister at the time being asked how he could describe the route as "express" and guarantee no congestion.....and him responding to the media (and I have to paraphrase) "if it gets too busy we will just raise the toll rates to discourage price sensitive users".
Tolls were always planned to rise to limit use.