French tables Bill to remove tolls on 412 and 418
French believes that removing the tolls from the 412 and 418 would help relieve congestion around Durham
A private members bill put forth by Oshawa MPP Jennifer French is aiming to remove tolls from both the 412 and the planned 418. These represent the only two regional connections to Highway 407 that users must pay fees on to access.
By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express
Oshawa NDP MPP Jennifer French has tabled a bill that would take tolls off of Highway 412 and the future Highway 418.
According to French, Bill 43, otherwise known as the Freeing Highways 412 and 418 Act, 2018, will make it so that “any of the King’s highways, like the 412 and the 418, that connect the 401 to the 407 toll highway cannot be tolled. That would make it so that the 412 wouldn’t have tolls and that the future 418 – when it’s finished – wouldn’t have them either.”
Tolls on Highway 412 have been a contentious issue in Durham Region since it was opened in 2016, with municipal councils all around the region pushing to have them removed.
French herself says that “tolls need to be a conversation had with municipalities all across the province.”
She also says that despite the fact the 407 was sold to a private company, it was always going to be a toll highway.
“If we’re going to have toll roads as part of our transportation network, then that has to be clear and it has to take into account the needs of the province, and the needs of communities,” says French.
What happened with the 412 and the 418, according to French, is that the Durham Region was essentially “surprised by the introduction of tolls.”
French believes that removing the tolls from the 412 and the future 418 will help with the congestion that builds on Harmony Road.
“The increased traffic has been made worse because of the 407 and people avoiding the 412 due to cost. So I think that anything that we do to reroute some of that traffic when you have a perfectly good community artery that isn’t being used… if we can free up an alternate route, we’ll see an improvement of flow in Oshawa,” says French.
She also says that if the 412 becomes free to use, it will also help to ease traffic congestion across Durham Region.
“I think it would make a difference across the whole region, not only Harmony and Oshawa,” she says.
French says that Bill 43 isn’t just a bill for Oshawa, but is a bill for Durham Region.