Key Points
- Motorists will pay more from 29 October, with tolls increasing by 6.8 per cent.
- The cost of using the bridge will rise from $4.00 to $4.27 during peak times.
- All extra revenue will go to funding the government's toll relief budget package.
Tolls on Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Tunnel will increase for the first time in more than 14 years.
Motorists will pay more from 29 October, with tolls increasing by 6.8 per cent, as the NSW government looks to make the road system fairer.
The cost of using the bridge will rise from $4.00 to $4.27 during peak times on weekdays between 6.30-9.30am and 4-7pm.
Off-peak charges will go from $3.00 to $3.20, and from $2.50 to $2.67 at night.
All extra revenue will go to funding the government's toll relief budget package which caps weekly toll costs at $60 for about 720,000 drivers.
The package is estimated to save motorists in the most tolled suburbs an average of up to $540 a year.
Premier Chris Minns noted there had not been any increases in the Harbour Bridge toll since 2009.
"We'd rather not charge anything of course," Minns said.
"But if it's fair and reasonable and equitably split, no matter where you live in metropolitan Sydney, I think most taxpayers in NSW would say, well, that's a reasonable outcome."
Premier Chris Minns said there had not been any increases in the Harbour Bridge toll since 2009. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
"No toll increase is ever welcome, but this increase is helping to provide toll relief to other drivers," he said.
"Drivers in western Sydney who have little choice but to use motorways for their commute and family travel have endured annual - and in many cases quarterly - toll increases since 2009 while the bridge and tunnel tolls remained fixed."
Bridge and tunnel tolls are required by law to be reviewed annually but were not touched during the past 12 years of coalition government.
The cost of using toll roads in the city's west, many of which are owned by private company Transurban, surged during that time.
Opposition roads spokesperson Natalie Ward said the government was increasing tolls to pay for unfunded budget promises.
"This government gives with one hand and takes with the other," Ward said.
"It is ironic for a minister to talk about equity when they are offering toll relief to benefit the premier's electorate but increasing tolls, fees and charges everywhere else.
"This decision only means one thing for commuters - the government is coming after your budget to pay for theirs."
