There is growing pressure for all drivers to be asked to pay more to use Australia’s road system.
The Australian newspaper reports that industry groups and senior officials are insisting that the wider use of tolls is necessary to raise the cash needed to improve motorways and boost economic growth.
In a submission, the Australian Logistics Council says it wants a ‘general charging regime’ for access to roads, and that Australians should accept a ‘paradigm shift’ towards a ‘direct charging of all uses’ of major roads. It calls for the ‘mass distance location charging’ of all vehicles, a move that would affect grey nomads, families and commuters, as well as the big trucking companies.
The Council is also urging a more transparent system in which all road users would pay and the money would be set aside for infrastructure.
According to the Australian, Canberra’s infrastructure adviser is also urging federal and state governments to raise more from tolls than they spend on roads, without limiting the charges to new motorways.
“User charges are critical to enabling projects to be funded and can also contribute to generating the revenues necessary to provide returns to investors,” said Michael Deegan, the Office of the National Infrastructure Co-ordinator,
The calls for a new approach are contained in submissions to a Productivity Commission inquiry into how to finance major projects. The organisation is due to issue a draft report on the issue in March and a final report in May. It will help to shape federal funding decisions around the time of the budget.
Assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs told the Australian that every funding source had to be considered, and he warned against a ‘scare campaign’ about tolls.
“We have to have a range of funding options available to deliver the infrastructure of the 21st century,” he said. “There will always be unedifying scare campaigns about paying for roads, but if it delivers better roads, safer roads, shorter travel times and higher productivity then it’s an argument well worth having.”
Would you be happy to pay a toll for better roads? Comment below.
Not happy to pay tolls as you dont see where it is going except gov. revenue. why not collect at tourist attractions, a % of their takings, included in fees of tourists visiting that area. that way everyone pays without dodging toll roads, or similiar.
As a tax payer and witnessing the enormous amount of waste of the same tax, by the various layers of government, I avoid any toll roads as it is. As for paying for the toll, some of us do not own a credit card or know the so called system, as here in SA we don’t have a toll at the moment, even though there has been hints of it recently. Waste not want not and if the use of rail was more prevalent, maybe there would not be necessary for so many trucks on the roads to destroy the roads we have. Recently travelling on the Newell Highway is a point with the huge amount of trucks on the road, and also along the Mildura to Adelaide run. Why is there so many tyres, fuel, drivers in trucks, when trains can deliver to major cities without using any roads?
The working population of Australia pay taxes. These taxes, among other things, are used to pay for new infrastructure and maintenance to existing infrastructure. Why are we continually being asked to pay a toll for roads that should have been paid for out of our taxes? What is the Government doing with our money that they can no longer afford to build roads?
These pay roads would have to be the biggest con going.
NSW motorist pay huge amounts of registration fees each year.
State by State they have the worst roads in Australia. So where do NSW Rego monies go to?
I also believe that all the toll roads on the East Coast are running at a loss.
I just set my GPS to not travel on toll roads. And because people have already purchased an E Tag, they think they should travel on the toll way which are now getting congested. at peak hour.
The roads that used to be the major roads, are now fee flowing, these are the ones my GPS takes me on.
When these toll ways first came out, I asked what was the toll breakdown.
The gentlemen explained the breakdown to me. The last one was a 75 cent search fee.
He then asked me where I got on and got off the tollway.
I said if you waive the 75 cent search fee I’ll tell you.
He wouldn’t waive it, so I said you find out where I got on & off then.
Another time visiting the Rell’s in Tasmania my Credit Card had an entry for using one of the toll roads in Melbourne.
The problem was just two minutes before the time I was suppose to be on the tollway in Melbourne I’d used my credit card in Launceston.
I was credited back the amount, but they did not explain why it was put on my credit card in the first place.
Watch’em,because these tollways are the biggest con going…