Rex Jory: It’s time for toll roads in South Australia

Rex Jory argues it’s only fair to pay our share after we’ve stuck our hands out for federal funding for road upgrades. Is he right? Take our poll.

It’s time South Australia considered introducing toll roads on Adelaide’s major arterial roads.

Of course, with an election less than a month away, any discussion about toll roads would be political suicide. It’s hard to imagine a more toxic and unpopular issue.

Both major parties would reject any suggestion that they were considering toll roads.

But that’s the point. After the March 19 election, perhaps as a broad community we should debate the merits and pitfalls of toll roads.

Tolls are a matter of responsibility, fairness, paying our way and equity.

Why should motorists in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane pay tolls to use major roads, bridges and tunnels, while in SA we don’t?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged $2.26bn in federal funds last weekend to construct tunnels to complete the upgrade of South Rd between the River Torrens and Darlington.

Similar work in Melbourne or Sydney would be paid, in part, by revenue collected on behalf of the state governments from toll roads.

How is it fair that drivers in the eastern states pay for at least some of their infrastructure upgrades from road tolls while in SA we simply put our hands out for federal funding without the expense and inconvenience of paying tolls for using major roads?

The answer: It’s not fair.

In Melbourne motorists pay about $2.3bn a year in road tolls – almost exactly the amount of federal funds given to SA for South Rd.

In 2013 an internal SA Government report estimated tolls on the Southern and Northern expressways, the Port Rd Expressway and the South Rd Superway, would cost motorists $152m a year. By 2030 this would blow out to $310m.

Melbourne drivers simply pay for their roads with a series of tolls.

Few motorists would be able to avoid being caught in the network of tolls.

The figures represent a huge injection of additional funding available for the maintenance and upgrade of SA’s road network.

In turn, this would release millions of dollars for areas like health and education.

At the time, former transport minister Tom Koutsantonis said the state government was utterly opposed to the introduction of toll roads. The Liberals have made the same pledge.

Here lies the teasing conundrum.

On one hand, the government is sitting on a gold mine of fresh funding to boost infrastructure spending.

On the other hand, the party which promises to introduce toll roads would face almost certain defeat at the next election.

Imagine the protest from, for example, people in commuter towns like Crafers, Aldgate, Stirling and Mt Barker if tolls were introduced on the South Eastern Freeway.

Or from people in Morphett Vale and Aldinga if tolls were installed on the Southern Expressway. Seats would be won or lost at even a hint of tolls.

Toll roads discriminate. Tradespeople and delivery firms would carry an unfair burden because they would be constantly using toll roads.

Yet toll roads have been introduced in Melbourne and Sydney and they are now part of the landscape. And motorists in those cities are paying for their share of transport infrastructure.

The road networks in those cities are efficient and contribute to lower transport costs, faster deliveries and reduced environmental emissions.

As an example, imagine how much more efficient traffic flows in Adelaide will become when the upgrade of South Rd is completed.

Darlington Upgrade – just one of the road sections which drivers should pay for. Picture: DPTI

So why aren’t SA motorists contributing to the cost of this type of transport infrastructure by paying transport tolls?

Lack of political courage.

No government or opposition is going to touch this political tar baby.

SA is prepared to let drivers in the eastern states pay tolls to prop up infrastructure costs, yet we are content to take the begging bowl to Canberra when we need funding help.

Put bluntly, we are being greedy and selfish.

Of course, road tolls are unpopular. Of course, they would be a new financial imposition.

But shouldn’t we, like motorists in Melbourne and Sydney, be helping to pay our own way?