NSW promises ‘fairness’ for motorists as Sydney toll bill hits $120b
NSW Roads Minister John Graham says he will make toll roads “fairer” for Sydney motorists as part of an ambitious shake-up which will include the separation of freight users from commuters during the day and could open the door for new operators to challenge Transurban.
As the Minns government progresses a major tolling review led by former competition regulator chairman Allan Fels, new NSW Treasury analysis reveals Sydney motorists will pay more than $123 billion in tolls up to 2060, including $64 billion in WestConnex tolls alone.
Mr Graham said the state’s network of 12 toll roads and the accumulating costs commuters are paying to access them, is shaping where people live and work, the way the city is growing, and contributing to a housing crisis.
NSW Roads Minister John Graham says toll roads are reshaping the city. Michael Quelch
“This is changing where people live and work in the city,” Mr Graham told The Australian Financial Review Infrastructure Summit.
“One of the key reasons we’ve tackled this challenge is because … many workers, nurses, or care workers who had stopped caring for the clients because of the cost of tolls that actually changed where they lived and worked. We spoke to teachers who had left the school they had taught at for many years because of the daily cost of tolls.
“The goal is to make sure that these tolls are fairer across the city.”
He said the tolling review – to be handed down next year – would bring more equity to commuters and road users, as well as more transparency to taxpayers on how contracts were structured.
Transurban owns and operates 12 toll roads in the state on separate contracts with varying annual rate increases, contract length, and usage charges for commuters and freight
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