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Calgary should motor towards a toll road system to reduce gridlock, emissions and generate revenue, a right-wing think tank said Tuesday. And the city’s transportation general manager predicted Calgary would adopt some form of user-pay system for some thoroughfares, possibly in a decade. A pilot project would impose tolls on a few major thoroughfares during rush hours, with fees being determined by cameras or sensors, said Ben Brunnen of the Manning Foundation.

“We’re looking at an optional lane where people can buy into when traffic becomes too congested,” said Brunnen, who brandished the foundation’s report For Whom the Road Tolls.

Without taking such a road, he said, “transportation spending in Calgary and Canada is unsustainable.” Ideally, Deerfoot, Crowchild and Glenmore Trails would be the guinea pigs for such an approach. The Manning model would cost motorists $5 a day, with users paying correspondingly less taxes, said Brunnen.

“What we need is some sort of rebate or cost offset mechanism to ensure we’re not double taxed,” said Brunnen.

It would raise about $76 million annually that would be plowed into road infrastructure, while reducing commuting time by 29 Percent. Such a system have already proven its mettle in Europe, Singapore, the U.S. and some Canadian cities like Toronto, said Brunnen.

“I think this is the future for municipal pricing and infrastructure,” he said. He acknowledged the possibility of resistance among Calgarians who see all manner of civic fees and taxes increasing.

“But once the pilot is initiated, people tend to become a little more supportive of it,” said Brunnen. “This is not a war on cars. it’s a win-win for commuters.” With emerging technology, some kind of road tolling in Calgary is probable in 10 years, said Mac Logan, the city’s transportation general manager. “The advantage of a toll road is it’s a user-pay system,” said Logan, who hadn’t read the Manning report.

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