A survey of 1,800 motorists in north and north-west Sydney has found that motorists believe the time-of-day tolling system on the Harbour Bridge is a failure.
The NRMA survey found 91 per cent believe the new tax has failed, NRMA Group CEO Tony Stuart said.
“Eleven per cent of motorists are using alternative routes to get to work, while 90-odd per cent are paying more for the privilege of just getting to and from work,” Mr Stuart said.
“All that so a mere 560 cars can travel before peak-hour per day. That’s not a solution to the problem and at best is moving the problem to another congested road.”
The release of the survey results coincided with the launch of RoadTube.com.au, a new site that gives motorists a place to air their frustrations and offer solutions to the state’s growing transport problems.
“RoadTube is part of NRMA’s campaign to Get NSW Moving Again,” Mr Stuart said.
“We are urging motorists to join the NRMA for this all-important campaign to fix the mess – we want to hear your views on issues such as the quality of roads and public transport, fuels, demerits, licensing and road safety.
NRMA President Wendy Machin said Get NSW Moving Again was borne of frustration among our members about the massive backlog of capital works needed across NSW.
“More than three-quarters [of those surveyed] believe they are being forced to pay for the mistakes of successive State Governments,” Ms Machin said.
“The Government is trying to fight congestion by raising taxes, but the solution is to upgrade our roads, improve public transport and build more parking to get people out of their cars and on to buses and trains.”
Has time of day tolling reduced congestion or made you rethink how you travel across the Harbour Bridge?
No. You have to be in Sydney when you have to be in Sydney. Leaving later is not an option.
Another money grab for the worst run government outside of Italy!!!
I’m sick of Sydneysiders whinging about road tolls. I live in Taree (Pot Hole City) and I would rather have tolls if that meant getting roads that are up to standard.
I assert that time of day tolling is working perfectly when viewed in the context of raising revenue for the state government. I think it is naive to think that it was introduced to reduce congestion. I am all for a class action against the government on the grounds of discrimination against those of us who live north of the harbour. To show that they are fair dinkum, they could introduce a rebate scheme the same as that enjoyed on the M4 and M5. Of course it would have to go to anyone who pays a toll on any toll road.
How can this State get any worse? Where has all the Taxes Gone?
With all the extra cash they making you would think there would be a decent road surface on the SHB, paved with gold!
The Devils Elbow truely points to Maquarie Street…
A real democracy would ask the commuters for suggestions.
But nope, not here.
Thanks Nathan Rees.
You have to ask “where has all the tax money gone”? Well, it certainly hasn’t gone into the NSW roads. Taree must be a big place covering all of NSW because all the roads are like that. Government expenditure must be called to account. Why are so many ‘Ministers’ having jaunts overseas to undertake studies? What is wrong with using a computer or a skype phone? The money is being misused and has been for a long time. Cut the crap Nathan and do something. Stop he overseas jaunts, reduce time wasting AND GET THE JOB DONE. We pay you billions every year and you waste it. Doing a 3 years study on whether a building should be built in such and such a place is BS. How many shovels of BS do you clean up from parliament every day? You are no longer being seen to do your job. You are being scrutinised and analysed and the results are out – YOU FAILED !!!!!
It’s little wonder that time-of-day tolling has failed. Offices start work around 8:30 – 9:30. Shops open around 8:30 – 9:30. Offices finish work around 5:00 to 6:00. Shops close around 5:00 to 6:00. People don’t want to hang around for a couple of hours in a deserted city to save a couple of dollars. Of course none of this will change, because the three hours a day you spend commuting actually counts as ‘quality family time’ that unions fought so hard for. Fixing the cause requires more will than the government (and a good proportion of the public) has. If we can’t have alternative times to travel, we need alternative ways to travel and alternative places to travel. One thing we don’t need is this Hobson’s choice of how to get about.
Its all about the grand plan to force cars off the city streets and encourage people to use public transport. Well I recently on separate occasions left my car and took a trip into the city ctr on train and then again on bus. Havn’t traveled (in Sydney) on public transport for years (decades in fact). After having to sit in my clean suit on marked, ripped & dirty seats in filthy smelly carriages/buses where you cannot even see out of the windows with all the scratches & markings I will continue to drive no matter what the toll is instead of suffering 3rd world public transport. An absolute disgrace, Rees!
If anyone has ever lived in Hong Kong – then they know what efficient public transport is.
People don’t willingly sit for two hours in a traffic jam for pleasure. But then who’d go sit for two hours on a platform waiting for a train. Or standing at a bus stop watching the standing room only jam.
Hong Kong has private small buses running the sub routes. They’ve got buses and very efficient CLEAN underground trains. And they’ve even got an elevator moving people up the hill – I lived just off it and used it frequently.
But this government has long outlived its use by date. We really should try to get rules established evenly across all states – and why do we have states when their governments are selling all the utilities they were there to run traditionally. We only have them because SNOUTS are adhered into the TROUGH like superglue.
I think the most frustrating thing about living in N.S.W. is the voters. Or maybe its really the ineptitude of an effective opposition.
Put simply its another tax! how much more money can they get from us whilst making up excuses about how they will fix the problems… honestly, if NSW voters re-elect the current Labor Govt they will only have themselves to blame… no excuses….. What next, a tax for breathing air.. Polluted at best!!!! Unfortunately, once a tax is imposed it would be difficult to remove no matter which party is in Govt… We all seem to not voice our disgust before a tax is imposed and only whinge about it once its in place…. we need to be proactive rather than reactive… in summary, i wouldnt mind paying extra if public transport was actually going to be improved. i have given up holding my breath on that one… Shame Politicians weren’t Pinocchio!!!!