Why driving in the city is about to get more expensive: Commuters to be slugged $10 to enter CBD during peak hour under shock congestion-busting strategy – and ALL roads are next
- The Grattan Institute says drivers should be charged $10 to travel through CBD
- Drivers in peak hours could be charged $5 each way in Melbourne and Sydney
- The think tank says all roads in cities should charge drivers 30c per kilometre
- London and New York already have similar schemes during peak hours
Motorists would be slugged $10 to enter Sydney and Melbourne CBDs during peak hours under a controversial plan to ease congestion.
Those driving through the city’s CBDs would be charged $5 during morning peak hours of 8-9.30am and $5 between 4-6pm, under the report released on Sunday.
Anyone travelling within an hour before or after peak times would pay $3 under the new scheme which is similar to ones in major cities such as London and New York.
The changes are proposed by the Grattan Institute to reduce congestion and make the roads safer for drivers and pedestrians.
In a new scheme by the Grattan Institute, drivers could be charged $10 when travelling through Melbourne and Sydney CBDs
The think tank suggested that eventually all roads within the major cities charge drivers a fee in bids to reduce time spent in traffic.
Traffic in CBD would be slashed by 40 per cent and speeds on roads in Sydney and Melbourne increased by 11 per cent and 16 per cent respectively if the controversial proposal was adopted
Grattan Institute’s Transport and Cities Program Director Marion Terrill said the scheme would help with traffic and would encourage drivers to travel outside of peak times.
‘It’s true that politicians in Australia have been sceptical about congestion charging, but our designs show that it is feasible, effective, and can be done fairly,’ Ms Terrill said.
‘Australian governments have the advantage that they can learn from cities around the world that have already successfully implemented congestion charging,’ she said.
Sydney drivers travel through areas west of the Domain, north of Central Station and east of Pyrmont would be impacted.
Melbourne drivers could see the charge during commutes through the Hoddle Grid, Docklands, Southbank and Queen Victoria Market.
But those travelling on weekends and public holidays won’t cop the hefty fee.
The institute says the tax will help reduce congestion and make the roads safer for pedestrians and drivers
The institute proposed that within a matter of years, drivers should be charged 30c per kilometre driven across all major road networks.
The costings come a week after the think tank initially suggested Australia join other international cities by charging motorists who drive during peak hours.
‘Everyone wants less congestion: it would make life easier for individual drivers and make our cities work better, too,’ Ms Terrill said last week.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian dismissed the report at the time but their government is facing increased pressure to reduce congestion in the CBD.
The scheme also suggested that those driving across all roads within the cities face a 30c fee per kilometre driven
‘There will be no congestion tax in Sydney,’ Mr Constance said in a statement last week.
‘Since 2015 there’s been a 13 per cent drop in traffic entering the city centre during the morning peak.’
Ms Berejiklian said investing money into public transport would be favoured over charging commuters.
‘The best way to reduce congestion into the future is to build major public transport projects,’ she told reporters last Monday.
‘Our state’s seeing more investment in public transport than ever. That’s what we’re aiming towards, not a congestion tax.’