Toll-ways

[WellzY]

Trying to re-invigorate some activity, so!

Very soon, the East-Link will open in Melbourne, which is an extensive toll-way to service the large eastern suburbs of the city. It was originally tipped as to be a free-way, but when the Victorian government reneged on the promise, Federal funding for the project was also withdrawn.

A few issues:

Do you think creating more roads is a good idea for easing congestion?
Do you think toll-ways are better than free-ways?
Would you use a toll-way?

Personally, I don't have a ca, so I don't need one. When I'm with my parents though, and we need to travel through the city, we do now use the pre-existing City-Link (same concept, but suburb -> city) and it saves a lot of time. Whether the cost of the toll equates to savings in petrol is debatable and probably hasn't been checked. That's probably only more of a saving if you're coming from further away, but the tolled section isn't that large anyway.

In the end, I think it's a bad idea. I'd like to see the revenue spent on such projects funneled instead into a better public transport system. Rising petrol prices has seen a huge increase in patronage, and the system isn't coping very well, with trains struggling the most it seems. God knows I wouldn't want to be catching a peak-hour train.  

[Jahira-Tor]

Im a little both ways on the issue. I live in rural Vic (Apollo Bay), i grew up in Melb and often drive there to visit my parents.

Two years ago my bf had brain surgury for his epilepsy, so i was driving from Wheelers Hill to the Austin Hospital (Heidleberg) daily, somtimes several times a day for the 5 weeks he was hospitalised. Had eastlink been opened at that time it would have made a 45min trip down to 20mins and therefore i would have paid for the toll, though i wouldnt have been happy about it.
Since then my partner requires trips to the Austin once a month for still another year, so i use the current tollway tunnels reguarly.

My opinion on it all:

Well we always knew the tunnels were going to be a tollway. The entire idea was engeneered privately. So for that case i dont mind so much, as we knew what was going to happen. However Eastlink is another topic all together.
It was just idiotic that federal funding was pulled out, but we cant do anything about that. I feel that it should be the same deal as the West Gate Bridge. When the WGB first opened it was tolled. When the tolls had covered the cost of the building of the bridge the toll was removed.
Under this idea it is speculated that Eastlink would be toll free within 10 years. Most likely before 5 years but they have to take a ball park guess. If this is what they were planning on doing i would be more then happy to support it.
However this is not the case. As with the tunnels in Melb, Eastlink will become a private enterprize. A buisness to run for some particular person, not the government.

I am against that.

As for your three questions.

Do you think creating more roads is a good idea for easing congestion?
In Eastlinks case, yes very much so. It was needed ten years ago.

Do you think toll-ways are better than free-ways?
Each to their own, tollways are usuialy better maintaned, as a driver thats important. Hitting a slippery spot on the road at 100kph isnt fun. However freeways are well... free.

Would you use a toll-way?
I use the Melb tollways at least once a month, im not happy about the cost but for a trip that takes me 3 hours just to get to where the tollway starts... well yeah im gunna use it to save me that extra 20 mins each way. Adding 40mins to an already 6 hours total in a car is a lot. (as my partner doesnt have a licence due to epilepsy im the solo driver)  

[WellzY]

I can sympathise with your situation, in which of course you'd be using the toll-ways to save yourself that time, because it's not as if you'll be using public transport for a trip like that, unless the price of petrol keeps growing faster than real wages are.  

[kixsy]

Hopefully there will always be a way around tolls  

[iKillCaustic]

Let's all ride bikes! And horses! And camels! (Seriously, feral camels are a real problem out here in the Centre.)  

[kixsy]

Hehe I'm just moving to the CBD where i can walk everywhere  

[Areliana]

Sydney's got a real problem with tolled routes... I think they just put up the toll on the bridge, and all the huge routes (M1-7) are tolled. Sometimes you just have to go with the toll. I mean heading to canberra it's so much easier to take the M5 (I think it's 5) that to wiggle your way around it to skip th toll, whereas going west you can take Parramatta rd and the Great Western Hwy to past the M4 toll and join there....
The main problem with tolls in Sydney is that increasingly they are cashless - from January the bridge is entirely cash free, only E-tags.

Most of this I don't have to deal with though, I don't drive and I catch trains and buses.  

[kixsy]

Absolutely although I don't travel on the M7 much unless I'm going to Sydney or the Central Coast. Most of my family is closer.  

[satansrose]

I am not liking the cashless thing because I don't have a credit card. cash helps me out a lot.  

[kixsy]

Yeh I miss the days where a few coins doen the funnel was enough