It’s “toll mania” with Sydney motorists facing more hefty charges from this weekend, with drivers on the new M8 tunnel facing tolls of $6.95 per trip, and the existing M5 East costing $6.95 per trip for the first time.
As we know, Sydney’s toll road network is the most expensive and extensive in the world, as reported by the ABC last year:
…transport experts have given the city the dubious honour of having the most extensive — and expensive — urban toll road network in the world.
Sydney has nine toll roads that include a total of 15 toll points, and will soon have even more when motorways under construction are completed.
Currently, motorists are charged when driving on the:
- M2
- new M4 WestConnex
- M5
- M7
- M4
- Eastern Distributor
- Cross-City Tunnel
- Lane Cove Tunnel
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Sydney Harbour Tunnel
There will be at least six additional tolls between now and 2023 upon completion of the:
- M4 tunnels
- M5 (from Beverly Hills to St Peters)
- M5 East (Beverly Hills to General Holmes Drive)
- M4-M5 link
- NorthConnex
“In terms of the kilometres of tolls in the urban area, Sydney has the most in the world,” said Chinh Ho, senior lecturer with the Institute of Transport Logistics Studies at the University of Sydney.
“We have an expensive network of toll roads…
This is Australia’s population ponzi economy in action. It’s a model of growth where corporate Australia privatises the gains from mass immigration and socialises the costs on everyone else.
Ordinary residents are fleeced with giant private taxes in order to fatten the ‘growth lobby’s’ wallet, in this case Transurban.
And it is only going to get worse if our two biggest cities are allowed to double in size to around 10 million people by 2066, as projected by the ABS:
