The NSW Government will hold a review of tolling arrangements on Sydney’s motorway network.
The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) has welcomed the review.
But it says there should be a more innovative approach to pricing.
“This review is definitely needed,’’ says WSROC president Cr Tony Hadchiti.
“The current pricing regimes across Sydney mean that motorists using different sections of the network pay vastly different sums for similar journey benefits,’’ he said.
“There is no reason why motorists travelling along the M2 should pay three or four times more than someone travelling the same distance along the M5.
“We are pleased that Transport for NSW is looking to address this,” he said.
“However, WSROC would like to see the NSW Government to consider a broader, more innovative range of pricing models, and consider how these models will interact with Sydney’s public transport network.
“Distance-based tolling on its own will do little to reduce congestion, and puts a greater burden on those long distance commuters who have little to no public transport alternative; primarily in outer Western Sydney.’’
Review should look at all the options
Demand based tolls is another option that should be considered, according to WSROC.
“Particularly in areas of high public transport availability, where it is most likely a modal switch will be made,” Cr Hadchiti said.
“Another possibility could see sharing of data between toll road operators and government, leading to differential charging so that users of multiple motorways for a single journey would have a daily network cap applied to their use.’’
