NSW Premier Chris Minns says he won’t rush the issue of road tolls.Credit:Kate Geraghty
However,the government is unlikely to wait until Fels delivers his final report in six months before it starts serious negotiations with operators,including tolling giant Transurban,around the legislation required to set up a State TollCo,a stand-alone entity to set network tolls.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Damien Tudehope labelled the interim tolling review “underwhelming”,saying the conclusion was road users were “going to get new tolls,higher tolls,and more bureaucrats”.
“The worst outcome,of course,would be if we stop,in fact,delivering new road infrastructure for the people of this state. You can ask any person in Sydney at the moment about the biggest bugbear of their life,and it is congestion,” he said.
“It is a significant impact on people but the primary purpose of the government should be to ensure that people are able to spend more time with their family and less time in their car.”
Professor Allan Fels has laid out plans for a major shake-up of Sydney’s patchwork of toll roads.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Tudehope said the “unfounded criticism” of Transurban’s monopoly over Sydney’s tolled roadways ignored commercial tenders were “open to all commercial companies to tender for the delivery of a road system”.
But he warned the government against “interfering in contracts”,saying the only avenue to do so was by agreement with Transurban.