Tolls Really Bug Me

[lukeycat]

Just read an interesting article in the RACV mag which I could really relate to in regards to the scam of a system that transurban and eastlink run when it comes to vehicle classification. I drive a duel cab amarok and get slugged a fortune when I have to use the toll roads as it's considered a light commercial vehicle my car doesn't carry any tools (other than a beer fridge and recovery gear) or do anything commercially so I wouldn't say it's a commercial veichle . It annoys me as it's not being used for commercial purposes it's my family daily driver. If I was in nsw I'd pay based on the vehicle dimensions which is fair enough and if I was in qld it would only be if it was registered as a commercial car I would be slugged a commercial rate.

My car weighs less than quite a few cars and larger 4x4s so technically should be less wear and tare on the road so why should I have to pay more.

Does this annoy anyone else.


 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[macca]

Yep

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Hoyks]

The toll should be most certainly be based on the rego.

I lived in NSW for 10 years and refused to get an eTag. I didn't drive on the toll roads enough to really warrant it, but it was the 'eTag deposit' that I refused to pay.

Now, to my way of thinking; a deposit is a sum that you pay, but is to be refunded when you return the item in good condition.

Not in the NSW toll road system apparently. Back when I was looking they wanted the deposit, but when I told them I would be moving interstate within a few years, the girl at the call center couldn't tell me what the procedure was for getting the deposit re-funded.

The conversation went along the lines;
So, its not a deposit, its a fee?
No, its a non refundable deposit.
So why call it a deposit if there is no facility to re-fund the money? Am I buying the tag?
No, we retain ownership of the tag, you are just using it so we can bill you.

Needless to say I wasn't impressed.

I moved to Queensland and they don't want any $$ and give me all the tags I want for nothing. Right now I have 5 on my account.

They do have SE-QLD stitched up with toll roads though. I live west of the city, so to go north, south or to the airport you are funneled onto toll roads or have to allow at least an extra hour for the trip.

[Alan Loy]

This is tax by a different method

Somewhere in the 90s we (collectively) got seduced by the "users pay" low tax model that we imported from the US

The consequence is that govts don't build roads or deal with electricity, gas or many other things.  This is what happens.

The good bit is that you keep more money in your pay packet, the bad thing is that everything (including National Parks) costs $$$$$

This is the new life we all must live.

[rossm]

Come to WA.

No toll roads, no pokies.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Just look at Melbourne's Tullamarine Tollway.  Used to be a normal freeway road.
It's now a Tollway for a section. They've effectively closed the road, unless your a privileged class of person, and pay for it.
State Government at its finest, make private industry pay for it and we'll suck off a percentage of the profits of the Tolls they charge, and take all the credit.

[Tim - Stratford]

Yes, same for my hilux, it also has to have its own toll tag. Commercial rate even though it's private use only.

Sarah

[Paddler Ed]

I get annoyed with how difficult it is for someone outside the Capital Cities to get into them... I don't have a Tag, nor do I need one for 363 days of the year... but I have to register in advance, pay a premium etc. It used to be stop at the toll booth on the M2 and give them the money - easy... now? Not a chance...

Although in saying that, shop around - VIC's visitor system was cheaper than the NSW one, even with a NSW rego'd ute and trailer...

[KeithB]

The Governments contract the building and operation of the tollways to private companies that have to go out into the market to raise the capital at commercial rates and then add some profit on top of that. Yet the Government can raise money much more cheaply through the issuing of bonds, which keeps the 'tollways" in public ownership. The whole thing stinks as far as i can see.

[Ragman]

Come to WA.

No toll roads, no pokies.

Shhhh

[Patr80l]

In Victoria you don't pay a deposit but must keep at least $40 in your account.   My Citylink account dipped too low and they didn't tell me until they cancelled the account and demanded money.   (A faulty eTag wasn't giving the triple beep warning and a lot of tolls from Eastlink's roads, the other operator, were added all at once).   They were asking for $47.    So what's the balance? "Minus $7".  So I owe you only $7? "No, you need to bring the account back to at least $40".  But you've cancelled the account!
So I told them I didn't want to reopen the account and I opened an Eastlink account instead.
Part 2 of the insanity:   I tried to pay the $7 I owed them online.    "Minimum payment $20".   In the end I told them that I have offered payment by their preferred method and they refused to accept that payment so the debt is cleared.
Didn't hear any more from them after that.

[Spada]

all of the tolling tags work interstate as the toll companies have linked systems.

Whats to stop you opening an account in Brisbane, and using the tag in Melbourne ? Least then you're not paying a commercial rate for a falcon ute ?

[macca]

The Governments contract the building and operation of the tollways to private companies that have to go out into the market to raise the capital at commercial rates and then add some profit on top of that. Yet the Government can raise money much more cheaply through the issuing of bonds, which keeps the 'tollways" in public ownership. The whole thing stinks as far as i can see.

Yeah but what your forgetting Keith is that if they borrow the money, they have to pay it back and they couldnt do that and maintain the lifestyle they are accustomed to

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[#jonesy]

When I bought my ranger I transferred my “car” tag online to the Ranger and paid car rates. When I swapped to the holiday I did the same and rang up to get a new windscreen bracket posted out. They realised and cancelled the car Tag and sent a new “commercial” tag.

I don’t use it much but hate that the wife’s car on weekends is a capped rate and the holiday is a pay per use.

[macca]

Come to WA.

No toll roads, no pokies.

Give it time, corruption has a way of finding  any perk anywhere

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Charlie Brown]

Wow, so many conspiracy theories from such a simple question 

[austastar]

Hi,
   We had a truck registered as a car, (non - commercial vehicle), as is allowed here (Tas) for campers etc.
I got a roasting from the toll booth operator north of Sydney (1978) for fronting up on the car lane.

He couldn't care less what the rego sticker said.

I hope to never again drive on any toll road.

Cheers

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

[Bird]

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/4x4/4x4-club-launches-campaign-to-equalise-4x4-ute-road-tolls-supported-by-fwd-victoria/

[DrewXT]

I'm VP of the Club behind the push to try and get the government to sort out the tolling system.  Luke Donnellan who's the Minister for transport doesn't give a rat's bum, because Transurban and SICE/Thiess/John Holland have an agreement that has the vehicle classifications in it that's a hard and fast contact the government aren't prepared to try to renegotiate.

What I have done is to cancel our SICE (Breeze) account and opened a GoVia account which is run by Transurban out of Queensland, who don't classify the Amarok as a commercial vehicle, nor do they charge you to top up the account the way I want to like NSW do.

Since switching at the start of 2016, we've saved over $500 in tolls as the Amarok is tolled like a car.

I'm like Luke, I carry a fridge, recovery gear and a few fishing rods most of the time...

To be honest, I can't see the current Victorian government looking at it.  The Liberal Party have said they'll look at it, but I'm not holding my breath

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Fizzie]

all of the tolling tags work interstate as the toll companies have linked systems.

Whats to stop you opening an account in Brisbane, and using the tag in Melbourne ?

Nothing as far as I can tell, Spada

I think the system only needs a rego number & an address to send the tag to - if an interstate address is a problem for some reason, there's lot's of Qld swaggers

In Victoria you don't pay a deposit but must keep at least $40 in your account. 

No deposit in Qld either, & only $20 minimum

Anyone interested, please have a look at https://www.govia.com.au

[corndog]

I put off using toll roads for a very long time. I use them now coming home from work when needed as it saves anything from 30-60mins depending on traffic. If there is a crash on the toll road I save no time but still get slugged a charge. I would have used toll roads earlier except for the fact that the profits go overseas. Be interesting just how much has gone overseas. I have a Landcruiser and a Ranger (with canopy) both used privately so basically the same type of vehicle. One I pay non commercial and one commercial rego, not much difference in price. The toll for a trip is much bigger on the Ranger even though the Landcruiser is heavier. What bugs me more than the tolls is the fact that we virtually sold our roads off to overseas for 40 odd years so they can make millions of  dollars a  year in profits and in the end we have just a road.

[Charlie Brown]

I put off using toll roads for a very long time. I use them now coming home from work when needed as it saves anything from 30-60mins depending on traffic. If there is a crash on the toll road I save no time but still get slugged a charge. I would have used toll roads earlier except for the fact that the profits go overseas. Be interesting just how much has gone overseas. I have a Landcruiser and a Ranger (with canopy) both used privately so basically the same type of vehicle. One I pay non commercial and one commercial rego, not much difference in price. The toll for a trip is much bigger on the Ranger even though the Landcruiser is heavier. What bugs me more than the tolls is the fact that we virtually sold our roads off to overseas for 40 odd years so they can make millions of  dollars a  year in profits and in the end we have just a road.

Simple, don’t use the toll roads.  Not rocket science.

[corndog]

Simple, don’t use the toll roads.  Not rocket science.

Or I could stop driving and catch a train.

[Bird]

Simple, don’t use the toll roads.  Not rocket science.

yea hour n half (sometimes was more than 2 hours) on the Monash carpark or 30mins on the tollway...

[Pottsy]

Oh, I love Adelaide, Shit drivers but no tolls.