Sydney motorists caught in crazy acts to avoid paying toll on new tunnel

Nobody likes getting stung with a toll, but some Sydney motorists are going way too far to save paying $4.27 to go through a new major tunnel.

With every major new piece of infrastructure, you’d expect a few teething issues as we get grips with how it all works.

But some of the motorists using the new M4 tunnels in Sydney west — which opened just over a month ago — are clearly taking it way too far.

Incident response vehicles have been dispatched to more than 300 events in and around the tunnels since they’ve been open.

Drivers have been caught dangerously reversing into traffic, crisscrossing lanes at the last minute and illegally U-turning all in a bid to avoid tolls of up to $4.27.

This car begins to slowly reverse out of the tunnel. Picture: Channel 9

In footage obtained by Channel 9, a Mazda hatchback driver pulls up shy of the tunnel entrance at Parramatta Road, Ashfield, and awkwardly reverses for at least 30 seconds.

In a separate incident, a Mercedes driver pulls up short of the same entrance, only to spend two minutes reversing into traffic, crisscrossing two lanes, forcing skip trucks and cars to swerve out the way.

The footage shows an incident response truck attending, but the driver refuses to move for almost half an hour.

It’s only when a police officer arrives on motorbike that the driver decides to continue through the tunnel.

Another car makes a dangerous U-turn to avoid the tolls. Picture: Channel 9

NSW Roads Minister Andrew Constance had a warning for those trying to reverse out of the tunnels.

“You’ll either kill yourself or somebody else, it’s that simple. Don’t do it. Just drive through the tunnel and worry about the $3 or $4 or $5 in terms of toll later,” he told reporters yesterday.

“We’ve seen 300 incidents so far, we don’t need people doing stupid things. It defies logic.”

The 5.5km tunnels — costing $3.8 billion — opened on July 13 and are the first underground section of WestConnex to open.

They allow drivers to bypass 22 sets of traffic lights on the notoriously congested Parramatta Road, saving up to 45 minutes on the M4 during the evening peak.

Mr Constance said there would always be a toll-free option for drivers, and the new M4 tunnels are expected to reduce the overall traffic volume on the existing Parramatta Road by more than 50 per cent.

The tunnels, costing $3.8 billion, opened last month. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Within two years it is expected there will be about 67,000 trips a day through the tunnels, taking traffic off local streets,” Mr Constance said.

“The new M4 tunnels are the first of four major WestConnex tunnels. When WestConnex is finished in 2023, drivers will save an estimated 40 minutes on a trip from Parramatta to Sydney Airport.”

Originally published as Sydney motorists caught in crazy acts to avoid paying toll on new tunnel