Sydney drivers, we’ve got news: tolls on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and across the Harbour Tunnel are set to rise, but before we start complaining, it’s worth getting some context. The NSW Government has explained that they’re redirecting funds to create a fairer toll road network for Sydney – which currently sees a big burden of toll fees falling on car-dependant workers in Sydney’s west. According to the NSW Government, all extra revenue collected from the inflation-linked increase will go into the NSW Government’s toll relief scheme, and help make driving across Sydney fairer and more affordable for all.
This is only the second time since 2009 that Bridge and Tunnel tolls have increased (the last time was fairly recently – in October 2023), compared with far more frequent toll rises elsewhere in the city (for instance, tolls in the city’s west rise “every quarter or every year”, according to Minister for Transport John Graham.
According to the NSW Government, the cost of commuting in Sydney’s west has risen at a much faster rate than for the inner city, with the toll cost of an average weekday peak-hour return trip from Liverpool or Campbelltown into the CBD (via the M5 South-West, M5 East and Eastern Distributor) rising from $12.60 in 2009 to $39.10. As a point of comparison, the toll cost of an average weekday peak hour return trip from Neutral Bay to the CBD (via the Harbour Bridge) has risen from $4 in 2009 to $4.41 today.
This next toll increase won’t be huge, with peak weekday tolls to cross the Harbour set to increase by 14 cents (3.2 per cent). Off-peak journeys across the Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel will increase from $3.20 to $3.30, and nighttime and weekend tolls will rise from $2.67 to $2.76.
With regards to the upcoming toll increase, Minister for Transport John Graham explained that the aim is to deliver “a fairer tolling network", and explained that the upcoming increase "will go into toll relief that has become so important to motorists who pay the highest toll bills in the suburbs of Western Sydney.”
In more not-so-welcome news for motorists, the $60 toll cap (which was introduced in January 2024 to help Sydney drivers with the cost of living crisis) is due to expire on January 1, 2026. The NSW Government is yet to announce the measures they’ll introduce in its place – in the meantime, it’s worth checking if you’re eligible for a toll rebate (you can learn more about that over here).
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