Review suggests Melbourne congestion tax - TheAge.com.au

Tim Pallas has since denied that the State Government are looking at a congestion tax (see below, and there's some nice reader comments in there too).

A review of Melbourne's transport system has called for a congestion tax and tolls on public roads.

Fairfax newspapers report that VicRoads and the Department of Infrastructure said in interviews for a review of Victoria's transport legislation in 2006 that "road congestion pricing" was an emerging issue.

The review also proposed "the extension of tolling to public roads" as a means of cutting congestion, Fairfax said.

"Over time there may be further private toll roads," Fairfax quoted the report as saying.

"There may be decisions to introduce pricing for public roads and/or to restructure tolls for the current private roads."

The review was obtained by the Victorian Opposition following a freedom-of-information request.

The Victorian government has long been opposed to tolling public roads, Fairfax said.

Sir Rod Eddington's plan to build an $18 billion 18km road tunnel and 17km rail tunnel to link Melbourne's east and west, released in April, also suggested tolls on roads that are presently toll-free.

At the time of the Eddington report's release, Premier John Brumby said the government was not "ruling anything in, nor ruling anything out" among Sir Rod's 20 key proposals.

Shadow transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the report showed the government was considering tolling public roads.

"The government has a long history of diving into motorists' pockets," he told Fairfax.

A government spokeswoman said the government continued to oppose tolls on existing roads and a congestion tax although its departments could continue to examine ways to manage the road network.

Read the original article at TheAge.com.au

...Roads Minister Tim Pallas today said there were no plans for a Melbourne CBD congestion tax or tolls on public roads, despite proposals to do so in a government report....

Read the rest of that article, and some great user comments, at news.com.au