NSW Toll Cost From November

[Noelm]

Toll roads are just a legacy of government stupidity, the theory is kind of right, but the reality is far from "convenient" for motorists. It's like everything else, privatise it and save money, to the detriment of tax payers and long term financial security.

[disorderly]

Don't use toll roads?

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but it might take an extra half an hour to get there..!..best to stay home instead right....

That's the easy answer .......

Unfortunately if you bypass the tolls - depending on the time of day you can easily double the time

Heading North & East are real pains in the bum if you live out west

Chris

First world problems eh..

Toll roads are just a legacy of government stupidity, the theory is kind of right, but the reality is far from "convenient" for motorists. It's like everything else, privatise it and save money, to the detriment of tax payers and long term financial security.

But surely you understand that the roads you used to get around before are still there...!

So you can choose to take the newer quicker, easier route and pay for that convenience or just take the old route you used to use and pay no extra..

or you can move outside the city and never see a Toll road..

You could even move to FNQ where every wet season many roads are impassable for days during regular rain events, windscreens get chipped and shattered, and Highway One turns into a single lane goat track with tyre shredding, rim denting potholes you can almost fish out of containing all manner of wildlife..

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[Noelm]

No toll roads near me, and it's true, the existing roads are still there, but........every truck and local uses them to avoid tolls, and some are tricky because the new toll roads interrupted their original route. To head from south of Sydney to north (or vice versa) requires some pretty skilled navigating to avoid a toll, or at minimum a 4AM trip, the new roads kind of had to go through old suburban areas, most got cut in half by multi lane toll roads. There is no real answer to city driving, planning was about a century late, it would be nice to just dig a tunnel from southern Sydney and come out on the northern side, and the same from east to west, but even if they started right now, it would take decades and cost zillions to complete, then add a toll to use it. Back in the "old days" gangs of road workers built and maintained roads, but now it's just tendered out and a private company builds the road, adds a toll to make a profit, then at a predetermined time, the road reverts back to the government, this time is about the lifespan of the road, once it's well and truly paid for, and in need of major upgrades and maintenance, it lands in the governments lap.

[Dignity]

No toll roads near me, and it's true, the existing roads are still there, but........every truck and local uses them to avoid tolls, and some are tricky because the new toll roads interrupted their original route. To head from south of Sydney to north (or vice versa) requires some pretty skilled navigating to avoid a toll, or at minimum a 4AM trip, the new roads kind of had to go through old suburban areas, most got cut in half by multi lane toll roads. There is no real answer to city driving, planning was about a century late, it would be nice to just dig a tunnel from southern Sydney and come out on the northern side, and the same from east to west, but even if they started right now, it would take decades and cost zillions to complete, then add a toll to use it. Back in the "old days" gangs of road workers built and maintained roads, but now it's just tendered out and a private company builds the road, adds a toll to make a profit, then at a predetermined time, the road reverts back to the government, this time is about the lifespan of the road, once it's well and truly paid for, and in need of major upgrades and maintenance, it lands in the governments lap.

In theory toll roads should work but it's virtually a monopoly with Transurban hogging nearly all the tolls in Australia, from memory only 2 tolls they don't have. They "bid" for the right but if they're the only bidder as jas happened on most of them then one would have to wonder.
They pay the govt $1bn or so, build the infrastructure then charge the toll that the govt suggests and every year the govt provides the new increase in tolls they must charge.
I remember the original Gateway bridge the tolls were supposed to only last 20 years or earlier if paid out, as usual it's a revenue pit for the govt so it's never going to change, although the prices in Sydney are eye gauging.

[Lovey80]

If Tolls only went onto road infrastructure funding pools (for other roads and for public transport) then I’d suggest city commutes would be world class. But they way governments constantly look at funding as consolidated revenue means they’re always playing catch up.

[stevej]

The tolls go to the contractor who built it for a set period of time

can’t go to consolidated when the government never sees it to begin with

[Dignity]

The tolls go to the contractor who built it for a set period of time

can’t go to consolidated when the government never sees it to begin with

They are operated under a franchise type agreement, some are with the state govts, some are with the local councils. You don't think they would let any revenue slip by, do you.

[NAGG]

I dont know about Qld - but here in NSW the state government has pretty well built every toll road & then sold it off . With the exception of the Harbour bridge & Tunnel , Transurban owns the lot . Even new projects like Northconnex - The NSW & Australian tax payer kicked in around 25% of the cost - Transurban / NWR the rest.

Chris

[RayLamp]

It’s been a while since I had to go through Sydney but bloody hell it seems as if the toll prices have risen. My car and boat measure just under 12.5 metres… maybe that helped?

I’ll stick to the Bruce highway up here 🤪