Profit over Practicality? Lane Cove Tunnel Sydney

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By Alborz Fallah | June 21st, 2007

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story recently which gave a glimpse into the congestion problems suffered by Sydney residents. The Lane Cove Tunnel is entirely dependent on government-created congestion to turn a profit.

Profit over Practicality? Lane Cove Tunnel Sydney

The herald quotes figures made to a parliamentary inquiry last year that show when the route first opened as a free road for its first two weeks of operation, 75,000 vehicles went through.

Once the charge went to $2.55, usage went down by 34 percent (50,000 cars a day), this is nearly half of the number expected by the owners, Connector Motorways.

Once the tunnel toll was combined with the $1.27 paid for the 190 metres on the Falcon Street ramps (one of the most expensive toll roads in the world per km), the numbers fell once again, the Falcon Street Ramps suffered a 25 percent fall (3,000 a day) which subsequently affected Lane Cove Tunnel numbers.

The original idea was for the NSW government to deliberately create congestion on nearby Epping road (by narrowing lanes) to force motorists onto the tunnel. It was election time when the plan was meant to go ahead and hence someone in power realised this was not going to be popular and currently the plans have been delayed.

The delay has meant the NSW government has had to pay $25 million dollars of tax payer money to the toll road owners for not honouring its contractual obligations (to narrow Epping road).

Of course narrowing Epping road isn’t what the government will call this, the idea is to build dedicated bus and bicycle lanes which would then create the desired level of congestion for Lane Cove Tunnel. The plan will still go ahead in February next year.

In the meantime, the Tunnel has been under massive public scrutiny after the NSW government dropped the speed limit from 80km/hr to 40km/hr overnight, without sufficient warning.

The change in speed limits generated, between March 25 and May 30, 13,500 tickets or around $8 million. The NSW transport officials initially refused to refund all tickets.

However our friends at SpeedingFineConsultants pointed out (John Laws show) that the NSW government had not followed proper procedures and legislation for reducing speed limits and the operation of the speed cameras in the tunnel.

The NSW Government refunded all affected motorists the next day.

Squishy

“Once the charge went to $2.55, usage went down to 34 percent (50,000 cars a day), this is nearly half of the number expected by the owners, Connector Motorways. After a second $1.27 toll was added usage went down another 25 percent.”

Actually, that’s not quite true. The $2.55 charge is the only toll on the LCT specifically, and usage went down *by* 34%, not *to* 34%. (Actually 33.33*%, but that’s me being very picky.)

The toll of $1.27 is the toll on the Falcon St Gateway, which is a completely separate part of the network and not to be confused with the Lane Cove Tunnel. This is a separate toll, not in addition to or otherwise for people who solely use the LCT. Traffic here dropped by 25% (from Falcon St numbers, not in addition to the LCT drop), from 12,000 vehicles down to 9,000 vehicles per day.

Just setting things straight.
David

‘Effected’ motorists?? Well I guess it is Sydney you’re talking about but I think you meant they were ‘affected’!!
http://www.alborzfallah.com alborz

You are both correct.
Edited.
Squishy

Mmm, I’m sorry to be so picky again, but the article still doesn’t read right. The 25% drop is only on the Falcon St Gateway, not the main LCT figures, so it’s to be treated separately (i.e. 12000 -> 9000), rather than ‘another’ drop (i.e. implying from 50000 -> 37500, which is incorrect).
http://www.alborzfallah.com alborz

Thanks for all that Squishy
http://www.caradvice.com.au George

Similar experience with me as they have moved the 80km/h speed change down to Wollongong up the road by a few kms. If I see cops hiding where they just changed the speed I’m going to click.
Foggy

Thanks to MacCriminals and their mates, a round trip to the airport to will cost someone from the Hills District the following:
To Airport
– $4.40 M2 toll
– $2.55 Lane Cove Tunnel toll
– $3.00 Harbour Tunnel toll
– Macquarie Airport parking toll ($7 per half hour)

Return Home
– $4.50 Eastern Distributor toll
– $2.55 Lane Cove Tunnel toll
– $4.40 M2 toll

Total Tolls (excluding Macquarie Airport parking scam) = $9.95 + $11.45 = $21.40

We used to have governments that were very good at building and maintaining critical public infrastructure. Now we have governments who are brilliant at selling off critical infrastructure and dividing the proceeds amongst their accomplices.
Squishy

Foggy, you realise that you can take:

- James Ruse Drive
- (Kissing Point Rd + Silverwater Rd) or
Parramatta Rd
- M4
- Parramatta Rd
- City Rd/Bathurst St/Any of those roads to head to
- Southern Cross Drive

and get to the airport without paying tolls?

Alternatively if you don’t know the toll-free routes, take James Ruse Drive, Victoria Road and the Cross City Tunnel – only pay $3.50.

Likewise, you can skip the Eastern Distributor by going around down College St/Macquarie St and hopping on to the bridge near the Opera House. The “critical public infrastructure” is still there.

It’s your choice if you want to pay the tolls, but the existing infrastructure is all still there. I, for one, can get from the airport to Castle Hill without paying a cent, so it’s not my fault if you choose to pay $11.45 for the priviledge of trying to save some time.

I think that it’s not fair that roads should be closed in order to boost profitability for the construction companies. (Especially the peeps whose only roads to the rest of the world were blocked off by a CCT entrance – I personally think that’s unlawful discrimination, but it never got brought up, so *shrugs*)

However, I think it’s damn self-righteous of people to think that they ‘have’ to pay all these tolls when the ordinary roads are there for use. If you’re living in North Sydney and complain about the Bridge toll, that’s fair enough. But if you’re in the Hills District and have a dozen convenient ways of getting to the same place without going an hour out of your way, then you’re just a whinger.

Btw alborz, it should probably be 9000 cars per day. At the moment, it reads more like 4000 reduced by 25% to 3000. Again, sorry for being nitpicky
steve

I made an effort that from now on I will avoid toll roads at all costs. And I can say that I’ve avoided each one since November 2006.

Why have I done this? Is it because I’m a tight-arse? Maybe.

It’s actually because my wife convinced me to get a ROAM E-Tag. I did. And I noticed that the numbers didn’t add up when I placed my credit on the account $100. I received my first invoice and it said $64 and I had only used it a few times. The first week I had it, the tag didn’t work. When I called up about a “faulty tag” I was told that the trips I took it on registered. Yet it beeped at me 4 times.

In September last year I went on holidays for a month. When I got back I had a ROAM letter in the mail telling me that they’re going to charge me some stupid amount of money because my account went over the credit limit. By I hadn’t used it the entire month. It had not been used by anyone else. I know that for sure.

I cancelled my account after they sucked it dry with a $100 credit in Sept last year, to the $25.43 (how do you get that figure when toll costs are all pretty evenly priced – it’s not like it’s $2.39 to take the M5).

Rip off bastards won’t have any more of my money. Good luck to the owners of the Lane Cove tunnel. I hope they file for bankruptcy.

And now they want to make the Pacific Hwy a toll road to fund the bits they’re fixing up… because our tax and rego isn’t enough to buy ourselves a “safe” road to travel on.

I’ve vented now. Time to go to bed.

Steve
http://www.too-write.com Ben

There really aren’t many governments in the world that can take a 3 lane road (that’s free), and after billions of dollars of construction, congestion and frustration, end up with a 3 lane road (that is tolled).
Kane

Has anyone asked the question – “is there anything we can do”?

Surely there must be some legal pathway we can follow to reverse the corrupt changes made to Epping road to help line the corporate pocket.

Those living in the north west are being unfairly penalised. Not only are fuel prices high, the government is trying to force additional expense on us through making a trip down Epping road almost impossibly frustating and forcing us into the tunnel.

Is there some sort of class action that can be brought against the government to reverse some of the road changes eg lane reductions etc? Anyone have any ideas?
kirk

Kane, of course there is – either use public transport OR (even better) get yourself a bicycle to ride to work. I had enough when they put the bus lanes in (although I also think this is a good way to get people off the roads), and still can’t get public transport good (having full buses go past on epping rd, then have to wait sometimes 20+ mins for one to get onto, that isn’t full). Now I ride to work. And I’m MUCH better off as a result. Dont’ have to pay a cent, and my heart loves me.
Johnny

Just so people know i used the Sydney harbour tunnel twice without an etag then i got a bill in the mail a few weeks later, i ignored the letters and did not pay them a cent and the letters just stopped coming.. im happy with my effort.
Gaye

Johnny, ignore the letters at your peril. The next one will be from State Debt Recovery and possible loss of licence. Not paying your toll is a legal offense.