Congestive Traffic Failure: The Case for High-Occupancy and Express Toll Lanes in Canadian Cities

Abstract

Congestion on Canadian highways is having a significant negative economic impact on major Canadian cities. Rather than face the political challenge of introducing road tolls to discourage traffic, governments have chosen to build carpool lanes on urban highways, despite evidence that these lanes have limited effectiveness in curbing congestion. Policymakers in major Canadian cities need realistic options for reducing the economic cost of congestion and increasing revenue for transportation infrastructure: converting carpool to HOT lanes would fit those needs.