Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ
It will be difficult for the government to justify some of its changes to road tolling, lobby group Transporting New Zealand says.
The government this week introduced a bill to expand charges for road users, including allowing Corridor Tolling; tolling on parts of an existing road to fund a new project in the same corridor.
The bill will also introduce new payment options for road user charges (RUCs), moving from a system of matching odometer readings to paper labels on the windscreen to subscriptions through private companies.
Freight group Transporting New Zealand’s policy and advocacy advisor Mark Stockdale told Morning Report that moving RUCs towards a digital system had been “well signalled” and they supported it.
But he said tolling existing roads in an area where there was a new toll road would be “tougher for road users to swallow”.
Mark Stockdale. RNZ / Phil Pennington
“Existing roads have already been paid for and maintained by petrol tax and diesel road user charges. So if they were also to be tolled, you’re basically getting two slices of the pie.”
He said Transporting NZ supported alternative ways of funding roads, but they needed to be rational.
“There is a funding shortfall looming for our road transport network, so we do need to look at other options. Tolling is certainly an option for new roads and also other options like public-private partnerships.”
He said they also disagreed with stopping heavy vehicles from using alternative routes to toll roads if the government deemed it unsuitable.
“That’s prohibiting freedom of choice. There may be reasons why those heavy vehicles need to use the old road, and to force them not to and fine them if they don’t use the toll road, that just seems wrong.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
