The Nova Scotia government is to be applauded for examining ways of speeding up construction on some of the province’s most dangerous sections of highway, says the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association.
The association says the government’s commitment to undertake a study on how to twin sections of the highway more quickly is a good approach, provided the government goes into the project with an open mind about its current revenues from fuel taxes and how they should be spent.
“Governments have enough resources to properly fund required transportation infrastructure as it is,” said Jean-Marc Picard. “What we don’t want to see is a preconceived idea that tolls are the only way to undertake these improvements, because we know from experience they aren’t.
“Tolls are simply another form of taxation, and they impact the most vulnerable in society the most by increasing the cost of everything shipped in Atlantic Canada again.”
The association says it has asked the government to be included in the consultation so it provide its opinion on solutions that will work for both Nova Scotians and the entire region.