Here is a bit more information on this, I made a very big mistake by thinking that the toll system in Sydney would be the same as in Brisbane. How wrong I was, using the M2 and M7 to travel to the Blue Mountains at a cost $36. It seems that the camera system in Sydney can not tell the difference between a caravan and a heavy vehicle so vans are charged the heavy vehicle rate. That will be the first and last time I will use Sydney toll roads with a van I will go the old main roads next time.
Long Weekend said
12:18 PM Apr 28, 2020
Actually, Old One, the cameras can tell the difference. When they detect a caravan they charge it as per length and height - which is the same as a semi trailer.
Wait and see - Brisbane and Melbourne will jump on the same band wagon and up their charges as well.
Murray
yobarr said
12:32 PM Apr 28, 2020
Old one wrote:
Here is a bit more information on this, I made a very big mistake by thinking that the toll system in Sydney would be the same as in Brisbane. How wrong I was, using the M2 and M7 to travel to the Blue Mountains at a cost $36. It seems that the camera system in Sydney can not tell the difference between a caravan and a heavy vehicle so vans are charged the heavy vehicle rate. That will be the first and last time I will use Sydney toll roads with a van I will go the old main roads next time.
Hi Ray....In the past there have been a couple of discussions about tolls.If you search "North Connex Tolls" on this site you will get the basics explained.There are other threads too,but I don't have time to find them at the moment.Cheers
Jaahn said
05:12 PM Apr 28, 2020
Old one wrote:
Here is a bit more information on this, I made a very big mistake by thinking that the toll system in Sydney would be the same as in Brisbane. How wrong I was, using the M2 and M7 to travel to the Blue Mountains at a cost $36. It seems that the camera system in Sydney can not tell the difference between a caravan and a heavy vehicle so vans are charged the heavy vehicle rate. That will be the first and last time I will use Sydney toll roads with a van I will go the old main roads next time.
Hi old one
The problem is not to do with the toll road operator, but our inept government who decided to allow the toll operators to change to a lazy easier size decision selection that does not have so many different vehicle types. That means they can save money on the detection hardware AND get more money out of a minority customer base. IMHO.
We should kick the government until they change the decision, or they will just let it go till next time the toll operators need something more. What then less vehicles in the cheaper toll, motor bikes only ??
Jaahn
erad said
06:12 PM Apr 28, 2020
"We should kick the government until they change the decision,"
I wrote to the NSW minister for roads and also my local member and got a stunning silence from the first, and eventually a soppy letter from the latter. The NSW Govt has no say in what the toll operator charges - they can (and do) charge what they want, and the Govt will not do a damned thing to help the consumers. After all, who pays the Govt in election campaigns? (You don't bite the hand that feeds you).... Mind you, the other side of politics is no better - they introduced many of the toll charging systems that Sydney has now. I am glad that I rarely use the toll roads, but right now, I have to and it hurts. As if we don't pay enough in fuel taxes (remember the 3 x 3 tax years ago, subsequently increased to 6 c / litre?) and the GST that was supposed to allow the state governments to eliminate stamp duty on major transactions etc? Oops - I just fell off my soapbox.....
Pondy said
10:50 AM May 2, 2020
I believe there was a grace period until the end of April, We rang them up and received a credit.
I would give them a call definitely worth it
Here is a bit more information on this, I made a very big mistake by thinking that the toll system in Sydney would be the same as in Brisbane. How wrong I was, using the M2 and M7 to travel to the Blue Mountains at a cost $36. It seems that the camera system in Sydney can not tell the difference between a caravan and a heavy vehicle so vans are charged the heavy vehicle rate. That will be the first and last time I will use Sydney toll roads with a van I will go the old main roads next time.
Wait and see - Brisbane and Melbourne will jump on the same band wagon and up their charges as well.
Murray
Hi Ray....In the past there have been a couple of discussions about tolls.If you search "North Connex Tolls" on this site you will get the basics explained.There are other threads too,but I don't have time to find them at the moment.Cheers
Hi old one
The problem is not to do with the toll road operator, but our inept government who decided to allow the toll operators to change to a lazy easier size decision selection that does not have so many different vehicle types. That means they can save money on the detection hardware AND get more money out of a minority customer base.
IMHO.
We should kick the government until they change the decision, or they will just let it go till next time the toll operators need something more.
What then less vehicles in the cheaper toll, motor bikes only ??
Jaahn
I wrote to the NSW minister for roads and also my local member and got a stunning silence from the first, and eventually a soppy letter from the latter. The NSW Govt has no say in what the toll operator charges - they can (and do) charge what they want, and the Govt will not do a damned thing to help the consumers. After all, who pays the Govt in election campaigns? (You don't bite the hand that feeds you).... Mind you, the other side of politics is no better - they introduced many of the toll charging systems that Sydney has now. I am glad that I rarely use the toll roads, but right now, I have to and it hurts. As if we don't pay enough in fuel taxes (remember the 3 x 3 tax years ago, subsequently increased to 6 c / litre?) and the GST that was supposed to allow the state governments to eliminate stamp duty on major transactions etc? Oops - I just fell off my soapbox.....