By Melissa Kosowan
Coun. Clive Doucet wants to charge motorists between 25 and 50 cents to drive into the Glebe and Old Ottawa South on a weekday morning.
Intended as a way to raise revenue for his Capital Ward, the pilot project would see cameras — similar to those in place to catch red-light runners — installed at bridges crossing over the Rideau River at Hog’s Back Road, Bronson Avenue, Bank Street and Main Street.
But his plan has its share of critics.
Barry Wellar, a geography professor at the University of Ottawa and an urban planning expert, calls it a “half-baked bright idea.”
“If it will cost you 24 cents to collect 25 cents, you’ve got to ask . . . isn’t there something better that we can be doing?” he says.
Doucet says the proposed plan should not be confused with the congestion-inspired road pricing in Europe that charges drivers as much as $16 to enter central London in an effort to reduce cars on the roads.
He says his proposal is about charging motorists to raise money for Ottawa’s ailing infrastructure.
Under the proposed system drivers would be billed each time they passed in front of the cameras, which would record licence plate numbers.
“What gave me this idea was going to so many fundraisers in my ward for things as basic as rebuilding Bank Street,” Doucet says.
“I started to think about all the cutbacks and the difficulty we’re having in funding this city and I thought we have got to start to find other ways to fund our city or we’re going to have nothing left but pipes, police and pavement.”
But Wellar argues there are more cost-effective ways of raising revenue than spending money on cameras. They cost about $150,000 each, according to City of Ottawa media relations officer Jacques Bouchard.
Wellar suggests raising parking rates in the downtown.
“If you want to raise money, why would you dink around with tolls?” he asks.
“You do it through parking meters, which is far more discretionary because someone who wants to park there seriously will pay serious money to park. So you actually already have the capabilities for tolls in place.”
Although Doucet says he doesn’t think businesses would be affected by the early morning traffic charge, Cheryl Aroosi, owner of Foster’s Sports Centre on Bank Street, is fuming about his proposal.
“It’s absolutely outrageous,” she says. “The whole idea is stupid and they should find other ways to raise money if they need it, but you don’t charge people for coming into the city.”
While she says she’s concerned about the impact it could have on area businesses, she’s more upset about the principle of the matter.
“It’s not a bridge. You do that to pay for a bridge or a highway,” she says. “That is the heart of the city, you don’t turn people away.”
Local mechanic Mike Yadollahi, owner of Mike’s Gladstone Auto Repair, shares her concern. He’s been making a living off cars since 1974 and fears he could lose up to 20 per cent of his customers, some of which he says come from as far away as Kanata.
“It’s going to affect the entire downtown because people won’t be comfortable coming in,” he says. “How many times are you going to want to come downtown each time you have to pay 25 cents?”
Doucet’s proposal is scheduled to go back to the transportation committee in April, which will study the idea and make recommendations. If the plan clears committee it will then go before council for final approval.
Doucet says if the pilot project is successful he would like to see it expanded to the entire downtown.
This would involve setting up cameras at all roads that cross the Rideau River, as well as all roads crossing the O-Train rail line, effectively encircling the area.
However, at this stage Doucet says he’s not sure how to tackle the problem of the Queensway, which falls under provincial jurisdiction but would allow drivers to access the downtown while avoiding the toll system.
“I think it’s enough trouble thinking of how to get the city side of it done, I’m not prepared to worry about the province yet,” he says.