NSW Premier says distance-based tolling on Sydney motorways ‘makes sense’

Premier Dominic Perrottet has ordered his Treasury department to negotiate with toll operators to make distance-based tolls a reality, with Daily Telegraph readers backing the change.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has doubled-down on his support for a distance-based tolling system and has ordered his Treasury department to negotiate with toll operators to make it a reality.

Mr Perrottet said it would be a “complex” negotiation as the government is locked into existing contracts with Transurban but he was determined to “to reduce the cost of living pressures on families”.

“It’s obviously a complex area of negotiation but I want to make sure that we reduce the cost of living pressures on families,” he told Jim Wilson on 2GB.

“I want Treasury to work through a negotiation… there are ways in which we can do it. I want to see that advice.”

Labor leader Chris Minns said Mr Perrottet’s proposal would hit Western Sydney residents the hardest but the Premier said on Tuesday that the demographic would benefit the most if a distance-based system is introduced.

Premier Dominic Perrottet delivers an update on the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project on Monday. Picture: Nikki Short

“What I want to do is, which will take some time, is work towards a system that puts lower costs on families, provides faster travelling time so people can get home quicker and work faster and have more time to balance work and family life,” he said.

“(People) living in northwest Sydney and Riverstone, if they’re driving into the city, they’re paying a toll on the M7, they are paying a toll on the M2 which is around $8, they’ve then got to go on the Lane Cove Tunnel and they pay another toll which is about $3.50 and then they jump on the bridge or the tunnel and they’re paying $4 there just for one way because of the four different toll roads.

“They’re paying well over $16 one way to get into the city. We can have a better system than that.”

Currently, motorists are charged when they go through a toll gate regardless of how long they stay on the road.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the organisation would welcome a distance-based system as it’s more consistent.

“As long as it’s a consistent standard approach it’s about how often you drive on those roads rather than which suburb you live in or which part of Sydney you live in. A distance based approach is something the NRMA would welcome,” he said.

“You need to integrate all motorways across Sydney in a way that works for families and at the same time is better.”

Mr Perrottet said in addition to long-term reform, his government was also looking at ways to ease cost of living pressures in the short term.

Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Transport David Elliott in the new Metro tunnels on Monday. Picture: Nikki Short

“That’s the number one issue that people are talking about over the family dinner table every single night,” he said.

Labor leader Chris Minns hit back at the Premier’s plans, saying they posed an “inherent disadvantage” to those who “live west of Parramatta”.

“Over the last 10 years of the Liberal National Government in this state, the majority of public infrastructure, public transport infrastructure has been spent east of Parramatta,” Mr Minns said.

“The majority of population growth was west of Parramatta and in effect, those that live in the east have got access to new public transport, those that live in the west have got access to new toll roads.

“(A) distance pay based toll regime will disproportionately hit them because we know in aggregate in net terms, the toll road companies aren’t going to take less, so some people are going to have to pay more, my fear is that’ll be people who live west of Parramatta.”