The new year brings with it many things. New opportunities, the chance for a fresh start, the start of a new chapter. For road users in Sydney though, it also brought a toll hike on roads operated by Transurban.
From January 1st this year tolls rose by up to $1.17 for heavy vehicles and $0.44 for passenger vehicles on key routes including the Eastern Distributor, the Lana Cove Tunnel and the Hills M2.
The hikes came just before an announcement by the NSW government praising its $60 toll cap success, with passenger vehicles across the state eligible to claim a total of over $215 million.
That cap is unavailable to heavy vehicles however, and Transport Worker’s Union NSW State Secretary Richard Olsen has slammed Transurban’s decision to further raise prices.
“As transport workers and owner-drivers face stagnant wages and rising costs, these toll increases are unacceptable and reflect a corporate greed that prioritises profits over the wellbeing of the community,” Olsen says.
“It’s time for Transurban to recognise their profit-driven approach is hurting the very people who keep our cities moving. These toll hikes are unsustainable and unjustified.
“We call on the NSW government to intervene and ensure toll pricing remains fair and transparent, preventing Transurban from exploiting its monopoly at the expense of Sydney’s commuters and essential transport workers.”
Linkt, Transurban’s e-TAG tolling brand states toll prices “generally increase in line with the Consumer Price Index”, and that “government regulation determines how much and how often toll prices increase each year”.
Quarterly price hikes are applied on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st and October 1st each year, with prices increasing by over one per cent per quarter, or 4.25 per cent per annum.
Sydney motorists are projected to pay $195 billion in tolls over the next 35 years according to the state’s Independent Toll Review conducted by Professor Allan Fels.
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