Test a free 407 for a month

RE.: Mid-peninsula highway 'Burlington to province: rework highway plans' (September 11, 2002)

The Hamilton Spectator,
Saturday, September 14, 2002

I wish I could have attended the meeting in Burlington where the crowd was told about the city's analysis of the provincial study of the need for a mid-peninsula highway. Perhaps I would have received an answer to a puzzling question:

Why on earth did the provincial government sell its soul to the 407 ETR consortium when it sold the rights to the Oakville-Burlington portion of that new road?

For years, many of us had hoped that this new corridor would make our travels much easier. The original proposal was to join the two sections of 403. But we were not even given the option of trying this for free. As soon as the road was finished, up went the cameras, and the fees. Because of this, many people shun the 407, further increasing the congestion on the QEW from Burlington to a little past Oakville.

I challenge the government to allow free 407 passage from Burlington to Oakville for a month. I'm willing to bet that congestion would be dramatically reduced on the QEW. I concede that the congestion beyond the current junction of Highway 403 and 407 ETR at Oakville would not be reduced - perhaps it would increase. So, construction of a wider corridor, or a separate through-route for those bypassing Toronto, should be considered.

Forget the mid-peninsula corridor. Even if it is constructed, it will funnel traffic onto an already congested area east of Burlington.

Dez Miklòs jr., Hamilton