No more free tolls in Vic
Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 7:01 pm
Motorcyclists about to get slugged on Melbourne tollways
With the announcement that motorcycle and scooter riders will have to pay tolls to use EastLink, the new freeway connecting Donvale in Melbourne's north east to Frankston in the south east, Honda says a rapidly growing segment of the commuter market will be discriminated against.
In the lead up to the official opening of what is Victoria's largest road project in recent times, those who commute on two wheels have been marginalised, according to Honda Australia's Managing Director, Stuart Strickland.
"Motorcyclists are a unique user group and making them pay a toll on major commuting thoroughfares is extremely unfair on a number of fronts."
"Global warming and traffic congestion are just two of the reasons why responsible authorities encourage the safe use of environmentally friendly transport, yet slapping a toll on riders is a complete contradiction of this philosophy," Mr Strickland noted.
"Governments should be encouraging forms of transport that leave the lowest footprint on the environment possible. What easier way than to exempt riders from having to pay road tolls?"
"With the escalating price of fuel making it impossible for some families to own more than one car, there need to be incentives in place to encourage alternative forms of transport, not discourage them."
The toll for riders will be about half that for a car in spite of the fact that bikes take less than half the road space of a car. Powered two-wheelers also cause far less wear and tear on the road.
Around 40% of Melburnians live in the corridor in which EasLink operates, which includes important retail, commercial and industrial centres. Further, City of Melbourne surveys indicate the number of people commuting to work on powered two-wheelers has doubled in recent times.
"We believe instituting the toll will force some riders to return to single occupant cars adding to the greenhouse effect, not lessening it." Mr Strickland added.
"Others may opt for less safe routes to avoid paying the toll, and since freeways are significantly safer for riders, this could ultimately lead to an increased road toll."
"Motorcycles and scooters help traffic flow as they take up less space than cars on the road. Isn't this what we want to see for our city as congestion spirals out of control?"
"ConnectEast (EastLink's operator) could make a significant contribution to the community and the environment by allowing powered two-wheelers to use the new freeway toll free."
"A significant proportion of motorcycle and scooter users also have a car in the family which means they would appreciate the gesture, and be less inclined to avoid the tollway as do residents of Sydney with the Lane Cove extension!"
"This whole push against promoting alternative modes of transport by our current Government and private business is not only illogical, it is completely discriminatory," he added.
Motorcyclists and interested road users are encouraged to submit their point of view to ConnectEast as well as the Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Council at VicRoads.
With the announcement that motorcycle and scooter riders will have to pay tolls to use EastLink, the new freeway connecting Donvale in Melbourne's north east to Frankston in the south east, Honda says a rapidly growing segment of the commuter market will be discriminated against.
In the lead up to the official opening of what is Victoria's largest road project in recent times, those who commute on two wheels have been marginalised, according to Honda Australia's Managing Director, Stuart Strickland.
"Motorcyclists are a unique user group and making them pay a toll on major commuting thoroughfares is extremely unfair on a number of fronts."
"Global warming and traffic congestion are just two of the reasons why responsible authorities encourage the safe use of environmentally friendly transport, yet slapping a toll on riders is a complete contradiction of this philosophy," Mr Strickland noted.
"Governments should be encouraging forms of transport that leave the lowest footprint on the environment possible. What easier way than to exempt riders from having to pay road tolls?"
"With the escalating price of fuel making it impossible for some families to own more than one car, there need to be incentives in place to encourage alternative forms of transport, not discourage them."
The toll for riders will be about half that for a car in spite of the fact that bikes take less than half the road space of a car. Powered two-wheelers also cause far less wear and tear on the road.
Around 40% of Melburnians live in the corridor in which EasLink operates, which includes important retail, commercial and industrial centres. Further, City of Melbourne surveys indicate the number of people commuting to work on powered two-wheelers has doubled in recent times.
"We believe instituting the toll will force some riders to return to single occupant cars adding to the greenhouse effect, not lessening it." Mr Strickland added.
"Others may opt for less safe routes to avoid paying the toll, and since freeways are significantly safer for riders, this could ultimately lead to an increased road toll."
"Motorcycles and scooters help traffic flow as they take up less space than cars on the road. Isn't this what we want to see for our city as congestion spirals out of control?"
"ConnectEast (EastLink's operator) could make a significant contribution to the community and the environment by allowing powered two-wheelers to use the new freeway toll free."
"A significant proportion of motorcycle and scooter users also have a car in the family which means they would appreciate the gesture, and be less inclined to avoid the tollway as do residents of Sydney with the Lane Cove extension!"
"This whole push against promoting alternative modes of transport by our current Government and private business is not only illogical, it is completely discriminatory," he added.
Motorcyclists and interested road users are encouraged to submit their point of view to ConnectEast as well as the Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Council at VicRoads.
then return to normal program 
