WSROC welcomes tolling enquiry

THE peak body representing councils in Greater Western Sydney, the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), has welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement of an independent review of motorway tolling in NSW.

The tolling review will be led both by Professor Allan Fels (former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) and Dr David Cousins, who will look at streamlining motorway pricing across Sydney.

The review’s Terms of Reference were announced by the NSW Government on May b11, 2023.

“WSROC has been advocating for a review of road tolls over many years, urging the government to make toll roads simpler and fairer,” said WSROC President, Councillor Barry Calvert.

“The people of Western Sydney are more greatly impacted by tolling issues than other parts of Sydney, due to their greater dependence on private vehicles resulting from Western Sydney’s lack of equivalent public transport coverage and capacity,” he said,

Tolls represent the second largest cost for most households in Western Sydney. WSROC is calling for:

• A fairer tolling system: including ‘Journey Caps’ (for commuters) and ‘Daily Caps’ (for small business operators such as couriers). Fairness, equity, and consistency must be a prime consideration in setting appropriate toll charges across