Reducing the toll on the Harbour Bridge

July 19, 2011Posted by Chris

 

Maybe many of those crossing the Harbour Bridge have “no option” but to use their car. Certainly only a small proportion are going to the City (about 20%) the rest are passing the City to the Eastern Suburbs, the Inner Suburbs (west and east), the Airport and Botany and some further afield. Many to places where there is parking and no easy alternative by public transport.

Is the peak hour congestion toll unfair? Not really, it allows those who need to travel to pass over the Bridge or through the Tunnel quickly because a few others – who are not in a hurry - will delay their trips to a later time of day and a few more will use public transport because they find it cheaper. Take away the toll and congestion will increase; fairer, yes, but not economically sound.

Will it make a difference to those travelling to the City, who probably make up the majority of those who are complaining? It cost $45 to $75 a day to park in the City, and for those travelling from Baulkham Hills the M2 toll can add another $20 a day. An additional $2 peak hour toll will have no affect on how these people will travel; the saving is irrelevant.

And those commuters going to the City, and many other places, do have a good alternative to use public transport. Surely the answer is to provide public transport directly to more destinations such as the expanding network of Metrobuses. These provide an alternative to using cars – to cross the Bridge and elsewhere.

With or without good public transport as incomes continue to increase there will be more people who can afford to drive and more need to persuade some of these to avoid the peak, removing the peak hour congestion toll is a retrograde step in good transport management for Sydney.

Introducing a toll system where those from the South West pay the same levels as those from the North West would be fairer, but only if those from the South West had the same good public transport as those using Hills Buses from the North West. This can’t wait for the railways.