The strategy outlined in the…

The strategy outlined in the discussion paper provides a start, but it should focus on more aggressively promoting mass transit and active transport over the use of commuter vehicles. The province needs to invest and encourage the development of mass transit technologies that are already available in many countries. High speed rail and bus transit between cities would be much better than simply expanding highway length and capacity. The only way to reduce road congestion is to reduce the of car trips on the road by providing alternatives, due to the law of induced demand.

New communities are not being designed with a diversity of transportation options in mind, and are usually entirely dependent on cars. Most communities that I have lived in are incredibly difficult to move around by anything other than driving, which paradoxically, makes driving less safe and more frustrating. Increasing density and prioritizing other forms of transit in new developments, particularly cycling and walking, would be the best strategies to reduce road congestion and transportation efficiency in general. This would have multiple environmental and health benefits such as reduced emissions and land usage. If we are going to take reducing emissions from transportation seriously, reducing personal vehicle trips as much as possible is key, even with electric vehicles due to the energy used in manufacturing and charging.

This is not to say that cars are not ever to be used, or that their usage shouldn't be widespread, but as long our transportation networks are only meaningfully accessible by car, congestion and emissions will never decline. Additionally, I do not see any consideration of subsidizing freight for transport trucks on the 407, which would be a significant improvement from having them join the congestion on main 400 series highways. It would also make the construction of 413 much less relevant, which I noticed is listed on the maps (it should NOT be considered de facto completed).

In summary:
- This plan is a good start, but should more aggressively focus on mass transit and active transport.
- Any transportation strategy needs to take into account how communities are being designed, and what provincial level legislation affects local planning and design on communities.
- Cars can be useful, but there are ways to make their use more efficient, and building more highways is not one of them.