Motorists avoid motorways and drive longer routes to avoid paying tolls

Motorists are avoiding toll roads as cost-of-living pressures bite, but many are still paying tens of thousands of dollars. See our list of which suburbs’ drivers are paying most to travel around town.

Cost-of-living pressures have been blamed for motorists avoiding toll roads, as new data shows just how much people are paying before they receive government relief.

Under the existing schemes, you can claim a rebate of as much as $340 if you spend more than $60 a week on tolls – and as much as $802 if you spent more than $402 in the year to June 2024.

However, the $60 weekly cap scheme is set to expire in January next year.

Even with the schemes in place, many motorists are avoiding toll roads, due to the initial out-of-pocket expense, or their bills being so high they exceed the relief.

According to a survey of 1400 motorists last year by consultancy SEC Newgate, the burden is making drivers think twice about which toll roads they may use or if they should avoid them altogether.

Transport Minister John Graham (left) and Premier Chris Minns want to reform the toll network. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Talks continue between the Minns government and toll operators over reforms to the toll network.

The toll road figures for last year show drivers from Western Sydney unsurprisingly topped the list of motorists paying more than $10,000 a year in toll bills.

The figures showed the highest 1000 bills were paid by motorists in Marsden Park, Moorebank, Blacktown, Greystanes, Bankstown, Glendenning, Glenwood, Merrylands, Rosehill and Auburn.

One motorist in Rossmore accrued an eye-watering bill of $102,90, while another in North Rocks racked up a bill of over $82,000.

Other big bills went to a motorist in Bexley ($73,000), Oakdale ($61,000) and Tumbi Umbi (almost $52,000).

The list of the state’s top 1000 non-business accounts showed motorists in Marsden Park, Cabramatta, Blaxland and Charmhaven who all accrued bills over $40,000.

The survey found about half of drivers agreed they were spending less on tolls now due to “cost of living concerns”, while more than 40 per cent indicated they would “pick and choose” the toll roads they would use.

Just one in five drivers felt that toll roads were value for money, the survey showed.

The final toll review report by Allan Fels and David Cousins recommended measures such as two-way tolling on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Eastern Distributor.

Transport Minister John Graham said the government was committed to fixing the toll “mess”. “It’s a sad state of affairs when commuters are forced to take the cheapest way home, not the fastest,” he said.

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Originally published as Motorists avoid motorways and drive longer routes to avoid paying tolls