The cost of being a grey nomad could soon be going up significantly … at least for those who use major highways and venture into our capital cities.
An Infrastructure Australia (IA) report released this week concludes that tolls and congestion fees could be the best way to reduce traffic and improve the state of Australian roads.
“To get the infrastructure we want, when we want it, we need to pay more as users,” the report said.
Looking at the overseas experience, it says that congestion pricing in London reduced traffic by 21%, increased average travel speeds by 37%, and reduced road emissions.
IA chairman Sir Rod Eddington recommended moving away from grants to encourage private investment. He said governments had been reluctant to make the case for change as “the community is wary of change”. However, Sir Rod said failure to make the difficult decisions would “leave a poor legacy for our children and grandchildren”.
The IA says revenue raised by tolls and congestion fees could be invested back into public transport.
The report also named its top priority projects across the country. Listed among the top four projects to make the ‘ready to proceed’ list were the Pacific Highway in New South Wales, two projects on the Monash Freeway in Victoria, and Brisbane’s Cross River Rail.
Numerous other projects around Australia were seen as having ‘real potential’ or were on the ‘threshold’ of being ready to go. These included Queensland’s much-maligned Bruce highway. Despite not being given top priority billing by the IA, more than $630 million was allocated for the Bruce in 2013-14 in the Federal Budget.
The Infrastructure Australia believes the priority for investment should be easing congestion in the major cities.
Would you be happy to pay a toll to drive on better highways? Comment below.
If they take excise off fuel and reduce registration fees then I would pay a toll.
We pay a thing called taxes in order to have high quality national roads – alas the governments keep wasting it on useless projects and idealogies and a whole range of bludgers. No I would’nt pay a toll.
The ‘Bruce Horrorway’ is a great example. We follow the small country roads and tracks where the air is fresh, the scenary great and there is virtually nil traffic.
John
No I wouldn’t pay a toll where there is any reasonable alternative.
You only need look at the proliferation of nonviable toll tunnels in Brisbane to see the folly of taking this path.
Unfortunately the only reasonable way from the South of Brisbane to the northern highway is via the reasonably priced Gateway toll Bridge.
Soon to be not reasonably priced. The amount of traffic going over that bridge it should be payed off. Prices going up to pay for the failure of the other Newman projects
i can travel from the gold coast to the north of the city without paying a toll in brisbane, it takes me alittle more time but i unlike most people who have to use toll roads plan my trip, so STOP WHINGING ABOUT TOLLS AND STOP USING THEM,
try to avoid the toll roads as much as possible, in fact we try to avoid cities all the time and only go there if we can not avoid doing so.
I have paid tolls for years around Sydney but would not be at all happy about paying them on National highways I also think ring roads should be free as well
We pay Fuel excise of a significant amount and also Registration fees, Speed cameras also contribute considerably and on top of this the Federal Govt kicks the can as well and we still have a majority of our roads being sub standard.
I really think the car owners have more than carried their weight its about time Governments stopped considering the motorist as a Cash Cow
I could not agree more Julie Stevens. you are right on the mark
If the country could develop ONE simple public transport ticketing system and improved transport infrastructure….we nomads could then enjoy ease of access in to the bigger cities….Melbournes myki system is not user friendly is very confusing and is not easily a cessible to tourists or regional/rural people….compare this to Darwin’s and QLD systems…buy a ticket at the door and on your way! Simple.
I thought we paid car, caravan. trailer regos and hugh taxes all our working lives, to use our roads. WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO PAY TOLL’S TO USE OUR ROADS.
We pay enough taxes now,fuel,and anything to do with a car and caravan they will grab you as fast and as much as they can until nobody travels and the roads dont get used so they dont have to maintain them and if that happens fuel will double in price {taxes} to make up for it,disgusting.
Ok for decades we have been able to transverse this great country of our with out paying tolls. How would they tool charge the Bruce highway that runs from Brisbane north to Cairns and beyond. I agree, we pay our rego and which has increase heaps plus the profit the government generate from fuel should be more than enough to give us great roads, not just for the big cities bur for the outback as well.
No matter who is in power, they all want to “Tax the Public”.
The government promote road transport, when they have a great rail network that could take hundreds and hundreds 34 wheelers of the road. But No Linfox and Toll and others probably have more power than we the public. The trucks are the roads killers, just look at the condition of the left hand lane compared to the right hand lane on any duel carriageway.
Placing tolls on roads has nothing to do with road or traffic improvement, it is revenue raising and nothing else, no matter the spin they put on it. The fuel excise was about road improvement, taxes are for roads also. Governments (Liberal or Labour it’s doesn’t matter)continue to reduce income tax and other upfront taxes so they have to find the money somewhere. Sydney and Melbourne have already been hit with toll roads, but thankfully there is a lot more to come in the near future (that is sarcasm by the way).
I pay 5 rego’s NO.
Queenslanders pay twice the rego that south Australia motorists pay, if all the money that is collected for just the rego alone was put back into the roads, we would have way better roads, NO MORE TOLLS
NO NO NO,
I pay tolls when I need to go through a city, just because it’s generally the fastest and easiest way out! But I don’t travel on highways if I can help it, much prefer the secondary roads where I can take my time and sight see. If the govt hadn’t sold off everything that made money we wouldn’t need to pay any tolls.
Why pay for Road Tolls when the Government has already in place like the fuel excise towards road improvement, plus other unknown taxes that are in place, we already pay enough!