The Ontario NDP moved a motion at the beginning of March to remove the tolls on Highway 407 for transport trucks, saying it would shorten commute times in the GTHA.
But behind this motion is also a years-long push from advocates and a recent research study that suggests removing tolls for truckers on Highway 407 is a cheaper, more effective, and more environmentally conscious alternative to the proposed Highway 413.
Removing 407 tolls for truckers was first proposed as an alternative traffic congestion solution to building Highway 413 by Transport Action Ontario in 2020. Increased interest in this idea by the trucking sector led to the TAO conducting a cost analysis in 2021 that suggested subsidizing truck tolls would cost less than half of what it would cost to construct and maintain Highway 413.