M4 Toll

[GTR-N1]

Anyone going to bypass Church St to Homebush M4?

Is $4 (one way) fair?

Is the increase on the M5-East justified?

Do you think there'll be a traffic jam at Church St offramp in the mornings? And will it be only temporary?

If there's a traffic jam at Church St, will the offramp at Cumberland Hwy get congested?

Might the M4/M5 Toll cause you to switch to public transport?

[r32-25t]

Have they already started charging the toll on the m4?

[Wordsmith]

The M5 East is just horrible. Who thought it was a good idea to build a two lane motorway?

[GoldZilla]

When I used to work in Canterbury, I used to go to work via James Ruse Drive, Kissing Point Road and Silverwater Rd and jump on the M4 from there to avoid the toll. If they're not going to offer refunds like they do for the M5 scheme, then I'll probably travel via that old route on the very rare occasion that I head in towards the city.

[GTofuS-T]

If they're not going to offer refunds like they do for the M5 scheme

I did not know about this... thank you... hopefully i can apply for refunds for the last year? $$$$ cha-ching $$$$

[zebra]

Only applies from the day you register for the cash back scheme

[niZmO_Man]

The M5 East is just horrible. Who thought it was a good idea to build a two lane motorway?

With 10m long entry lanes.

[kingtube69]

I will happily pay the tolls IF and only IF traffic is not bumper to bumper. I'm not convinced that expanding the lanes will fix the issue - We are probably at the stage with population/drivers where even 4 lanes is inadequate but then again those who don't want to pay tolls wont use it so its a possibility that the M4 will clear up. I will be using Vic road if the M4 is still congested when they are done

[jmknights93]

I've been traveling on the M4 from Outer Western Sydney to Lidcombe every morning to work for the past 4 years. Some days are great and some days are just plain crap...

I'll 100% be avoiding the toll area from the first day as I don't believe getting charged to sit in the M4 carpark or any toll way is acceptable.

[GTR-N1]

Springwood > Earlwood

Plan B:- Cumberland Hwy > Merrylands > Guilford > Chester Hill > Greenacre > Campsie...

Plan C:- Prospect Hwy > Girraween > Wetherill Park > Fairfield > Lansvale > Bankstown > Belmore...

Plan D:- Mamre Rd > Kemps Creek > Cabramatta > Chipping Norton > Padstow > Narwee > Kingsgrove...

[r32-25t]

Have they already started charging the toll on the m4?

?

[GTR-N1]

In about 3 months it begins.

[Daleo]

The heaviest traffic runs from Centenary drive to James Ruse drive in the afternoon; the toll will push a lot of traffic back on to surface roads.

This will help reduce the congestion on the M4 but delays will just be transferred to roads which are not equipped to deal with it.

I'll have no alternative to paying the toll, but it will still be less than the M7-M2 tolls to get to Macquarie Park; which are extortionate.

This ideal "user pays" system that our state govt desires, is totally failed by a sub-par public transport system; and a lack of initiative to actively decentralise business.

We fill our roads with cars and trains with bodies and travel huge distances because employers and successive governments refuse to provide incentives to business to move out of a 30km square of radically overpriced real estate.

Then we have these same short sighted governments scolding us like naughty schoolchildren; because we are "addicted to our cars"...

f**k off dream boats.

[GTofuS-T]

?

In about 3 months it begins.

any source on that? All the articles I can find say 2017 after the upgrades, but then will continue until 2060.

Also, off topic, but M5 rebate went through! Luckily I had unknowingly signed up for it when I set up my E-Toll account a few years ago, and you are able to apply up to 12 months after the end of the quarter, so I could it all back! (a measly $60, but hey a free tank of petrol!)

[niZmO_Man]

They're already putting the toll gate frames up.

[jmknights93]

They're already putting the toll gate frames up.

Yeah, well before the jobs expected completion date lol.

[GTR-N1]

A couple are already beaping (at no cost to me they say).

[Duncan]

I will happily pay the tolls IF and only IF traffic is not bumper to bumper. I'm not convinced that expanding the lanes will fix the issue - We are probably at the stage with population/drivers where even 4 lanes is inadequate but then again those who don't want to pay tolls wont use it so its a possibility that the M4 will clear up. I will be using Vic road if the M4 is still congested when they are done

Indeed....when has adding more lanes ever made traffic move faster?

eg, 2 years after the major M2 upgrade:

"The largest fall was on the M2 Hills Motorway from North Ryde to Carlingford, where the average afternoon peak hour speed plunged by 25km/h to 46km/h" [/size]http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/peak-hour-in-sydney-is-getting-worse--and-longer-data-shows-20160310-gnftvd.html#ixzz43UZPvpCq [/size]

I was unfortunate enough to have to take that daily during the upgrade; full toll, horrible traffic, and once it was finished within a year or 2 it is back worse than ever. The only people who benefitted were Transurban and their shareholders

[Wordsmith]

Pretty soon the only traffic solution is going to be to start building elevated roads a few metres above the existing ones. The elevated road network would be for transit and the ground road network would be to access homes and businesses and stuff.

I wouldn't mind taking public transport to uni if it didn't take an hour and a half each way. Driving is usually quicker except in the worst of rush hours, plus I find pleasure in driving and I can carry around more than what fits into a backpack.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Wordsmith

[niZmO_Man]

This place won't get elevated roads in our lifetime. Too dumb to pull organise/manage the build.