Toll roads in Australia
This article lists and outlines tollways or toll roads in Australia. Tollways are found in the eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. All are currently within the urban limits of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Melbourne's CityLink tollway (M1 and M2 sections) carry the highest volume of traffic and also generate the highest revenue of all the tollways (by a substantial amount). This is mainly due to the necessary cross-city and North (Melbourne Airport-bound) corridors. Each respective city uses a different brand of tolling, such as e-TAG in Melbourne, e-Way, e-Toll and Roam in Sydney and go via in Brisbane.
Most tollways operate an open system of toll collection (tolls are collected at a barrier or mainline toll plaza). The Westlink M7 is Closed System where tolls are calculated based on distance from entry/exit points. e-TAG was developed by Transurban (the owner and operator of CityLink in Melbourne in the 1990s in preparation for what would be one of the worlds first 'fully electronic' tollways. Some however, such as in Sydney, still permit payment by cash. Free-flow tolling is used on some tollways, including Melbourne's EastLink tollway where either an e-TAG or an account (tag-less) can be used via each gantry. Queensland also has motorways that have been converted into tollways or new tollways constructed, which use the electronic method.
According to Professor Mark Hickman, the chair of Transport at the University of Queensland's School of Civil Engineering, toll roads in Australia have not reached expected traffic volumes and do not always relieve congestion in the short-term.[1]
Current toll roads
| Toll Road[2][3][4][5] | Location | Toll Point | A$ revenue (million) 2007 | trips/transactions (Mil) 2007 | A$ Tolls 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CityLink | Pascoe Vale to Malvern, Vic | Multiple Gantry | 362.8 | 247.9 | 1.65 to 6.21 |
| Sydney Harbour Tunnel (M1) | Sydney to North Sydney, NSW | Milsons Point (Southbound) | 43.7 | unknown | 3.00 |
| Eastern Distributor (M1) | Woolloomooloo, NSW | Woolloomooloo (Northbound) | 75.3 | 17.4 | 5.50 |
| Sydney Harbour Bridge (M2) | Sydney to North Sydney, NSW | Millers Point (Southbound) | 85.91 | unknown | 3.00 |
| Lane Cove Tunnel (M2) | Artarmon to North Ryde, NSW | Gantry | unknown | unknown | 2.69 |
| Hills Motorway (M2) | North Ryde to Baulkham Hills, NSW | North Ryde | 120.6 | 33.8 | 4.95 to 6.60 |
| South Western Motorway (M5) | Beverly Hills to Moorebank, NSW | Booth/Gantry at Hammondville | 163.6 | 42.3 | 3.80 |
| Westlink (M7) | Baulkham Hills to Prestons, NSW | Multiple Gantry | 153.2 | 41.8 | 0.44 to 6.58 |
| Cross City Tunnel | Sydney, NSW | Gantry at Sydney | unknown | unknown | 4.07 |
| EastLink | Ringwood to Frankston, Vic | Multiple Gantry | n/a | n/a | 0.33 to 4.96 |
| Gateway Motorway (M1 becomes M2 at 8 Mile Plains) | Banyo to Drewvale, Qld | Murarrie and Kuraby | 90.6 | 33.6 | 2.90 |
| Logan Motorway (M2) | Gailes to Loganholme, Qld | Heathwood and Meadowbrook | 69.9 | 37.2 | 2.00 to 3.20 |
| Clem Jones Tunnel (M7) | Woolloongabba to Bowen Hills, Qld | Bowen Hills | n/a | n/a | 4.28 |
| Airport Link (M7) | Windsor to Clayfield, Qld | Windsor and Clayfield | n/a | n/a | 3.82 to 4.98 |
| Go Between Bridge | West End to Milton, Qld | West End | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Legacy Way (M5) | Toowong to Kelvin Grove, Qld | Toowong | n/a | n/a | 3.00 |
Former toll roads
| Toll Road | Location | Toll Point | Operated Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Motorway (M4) | Lidcombe to Granville, NSW | Auburn | 2010 (15 Feb) |
| Southern Freeway (F6) | Waterfall to Bulli Tops, NSW | Waterfall | 1995 (30 Jul) |
| Sydney-Newcastle Freeway (F3) | Berowra to Calga, NSW | Berowra | 1988 |
| West Gate Bridge | Port Melbourne to Spotswood, Vic | Port Melbourne | 1985 |
| Sunshine Motorway | Maroochydore to Pacific Paradise, Qld | Pacific Paradise | 1996, toll removed. |
| Hornibrook Bridge | Brighton to Clontarf ,Qld | Clontarf | 1979 (Demolished) Replaced with (toll free) Houghton Highway 1979 and Ted Smout Memorial Bridge 2010 |
| Walter Taylor Bridge | Chelmer to Indooroopilly ,Qld | Indooroopilly | 1960's, toll removed. |
| Story Bridge | Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point, Qld | Kangaroo Point | 1940, toll removed. |
Future toll roads
- Toowoomba Second Range Crossing in Toowoomba, to connect the Warrego Highway (in the east) at Helidon with the Warrego Highway (in the west) at Charlton and the Gore Highway at Athol, anticipated to open in 2018.
- NorthConnex in Sydney, to connect the M1 Pacific Motorway at Wahroonga with the M2 Hills Motorway at West Pennant Hills, anticipated to open in 2019.
- WestConnex in Sydney, to connect the M4 Western Motorway at Homebush with the realigned M5 Motorway at Sydney Airport, anticipated to fully open in 2023.
See also
References
- ↑ Tony Moore (19 March 2015). "Brisbane's toll tunnels fail to cut rising travel times: RACQ". Brisbane Times (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ↑ Transurban, security holder review
- ↑ Linton Besser (27 September 2008). "The bleeping price we paid to drive". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ↑ Sydney Morning Herald: Bridge toll props up harbour tunnelBridge toll props up harbour tunnel (13 December 2007)
- ↑ Qld Motorways - 2007 Annual Report