Tolls on the Sydney Harbor Bridge will increase for the first time in fourteen years
- The toll will increase by 6.8 percent on October 29
- Additional revenue goes to the budget measure for toll reduction
The tolls for the Harbor Bridge and Tunnel in Sydney will increase for the first time in more than fourteen years.
Motorists will pay more from October 29, with tolls rising by 6.8 per cent, as the NSW government moves to make the road network fairer.
The cost to use the bridge will increase from $4.00 to $4.27 during peak hours, on weekdays between 6:30 AM – 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Off-peak rates will go from $3.00 to $3.20, and from $2.50 to $2.67 overnight.
Any additional revenue will go toward funding the budget’s toll relief package, which limits weekly toll costs to $60 for about 720,000 drivers.
It is estimated that the package will save motorists in the most tolled suburbs an average of $540 per year.
Motorists will pay more from October 29, with tolls rising by 6.8 per cent, as the NSW government moves to make the road network fairer
Roads Minister John Graham said it was appropriate to increase tolls to help cover the costs of road use elsewhere.
“No toll increase is ever welcome, but this increase does help provide toll relief for other drivers,” he said.
“Drivers in Western Sydney who have little choice but to use highways for their commutes and family trips have endured annual – and in many cases quarterly – toll increases since 2009, while bridge and tunnel tolls have remained flat.”
Bridge and tunnel tolls must be reviewed annually by law, but have not changed in the past 12 years of coalition government.
Meanwhile, the cost of using roads in the city’s west, many of which are owned by the private company Transurban, has soared.