Interstate Toll Fines - help !!

taco said :

Wasn’t it one of those two roads that had the alternate route blocked to force people to use the new road a few years ago?

Close. It was actually the Lane Cove Tunnel which youre thinking about, I believe. From memory the issue was more to do with the traffic lights giving higher priority to toll-road traffic. From a quick read of the wiki article, it appears there was some controversy over the installation of a bus lane on the non-toll road, which seems to make sense as you dont really want buses to stop on an ‘express’ tollroad anyway.

dvaey said :

Another thing to remember, is that you dont HAVE to use a toll road. Toll roads such as Eastlink or the M7, didnt replace existing roads, they added a different route with more convenience and were paid for by a private business, not your (their) tax dollars. If youre using a GPS and dont wish to pay tolls in an interstate city, just tell it not to use toll roads and youll be set.

Wasn’t it one of those two roads that had the alternate route blocked to force people to use the new road a few years ago?

If your travelling to Sydney and paying on the net, go to ROMA.COM, cover yourself for a month, as I only put down the time I expected to be away, I stayed longer, I recieved a notice for payment for return

I visit both Sydney and Melbourne frequently, and even went so far as to get an E-tag(*). I find the tolling is often erratic, with maybe 1 of 3 visits to Melbourne actually appearing on my toll account. The bigger problem, especially with the Melbourne toll roads, is that it can sometimes take 3 or 4 months for a toll to appear on your account. A couple of times Ive waited a couple of weeks, without seeing a toll, only to be aware its been applied to my e-tag account when they direct debit my account (which they do without notice, and without receipt.. when questioned they said the next months statement is my receipt).

Another thing to remember, is that you dont HAVE to use a toll road. Toll roads such as Eastlink or the M7, didnt replace existing roads, they added a different route with more convenience and were paid for by a private business, not your (their) tax dollars. If youre using a GPS and dont wish to pay tolls in an interstate city, just tell it not to use toll roads and youll be set.

*- I use a NSW RTA E-tag, as other companies who issue tags such as Citylink or Roam will sometimes charge a fee if you dont use the tag a minimum amount, whereas RTA E-tags dont matter if you use them everyday or once in two years, there are no additional charges.

I love my beepy little toll tag. Set it, forget it, no need to worry about this kind of stuff when I do make the odd trip to Hell (aka Sydney).

Get a e-tag it works in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and make interstate travel to the Capital Cities bliss for getting around.

For those pre-paying or calling the eastlink et al companies to pay for isolated toll use, make sure you keep the receipts. My mother received a bill/fine from eastlink, even though she was sure she had paid. she went back through her records from six months earlier and sure enough she had paid.

Im confident that there is a proportion of people who just would have paid the invoice/fine without checking.

Ralph said :

REVS.

And you won’t be able to sell your car until you pay up. Trust me, I know.

Hmmm… I must have been lucky, I drove through Melb without registering with the toll company, and sold my car since with no problems (drove through Melb about 4 yrs ago).

though if it’s melbourne, they may engage an underworld hit on you to pop a cap in yo ass…

or they might send a note with very simple instructions on how to pay the very small amount – if my recent experience crossing sydney’s harbour tunnel is any indication…

I drive to Melbourne and back at least 4 times a year using CityLink every time. I have not paid now for about the last 4 years, have sold a car during that time without problem and never been written to. So I guess that means I am either very lucky or I have a very big bill on its way based on other comments here…