High Occupancy Toll lanes coming to Toronto

Del Duca had tweeted out a Vine video saying that the announcement will be made. Further details, including pricing and availability will be announced in spring 2016.

The pilot project could last four years.

The pilot will be used to guide the eventual roll out of HOT lanes across the region: by 2021, HOT lanes will run along Highway 427 from south of Highway 409 to north of Rutherford Road.

The pilot project will launch next summer on the QEW, for the 16.5-kilometre stretch between Trafalgar Road and Guelph Line.

Monday morning, Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced that HOT Lanes (High-occupancy toll) are coming to the QEW and Highway 427. Let us know in the comments. Del Duca offered no answers to these questions.

“We’ll probably end up in the neighbourhood of roughly 1,000 permits in total, but that will be done in phases over time”, said Del Duca. “It’s always possible in the future that we’ll be looking at more options”.

“(High-occupancy toll) lanes will be free for carpoolers with two or more people in their vehicle and for those vehicles with what we call green license plates”, Del Duca said.

The province has previously indicated it would work with cities like Toronto to implement toll lanes if they requested them for municipally owned highways, like the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway.

The plan has faced opposition from both the Progressive Conservatives and the NDP.

The New Democrats, meanwhile, have linked the HOT lanes with the name of a high-end automaker, calling them “Lexus lanes” – and something that only the wealthiest of motorists would be able to afford.