Finally! Sydney's Cross City Tunnel Tolls Reduced & Public Roads Re-Opened

[JoeT]

NRMA Revved Up Over Closures

Stavro Sofios 13/08/05
www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au

The state's biggest motoring group yesterday declared war on the shameless Cross City Tunnel toll – and promised to help commuters beat it.

The NRMA (National Roads & Motorists Association) will publish maps showing how motorists can "rat-run" a controversial section of the tunnel as it demands an urgent meeting with the State Government.

The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed plans to permanently block the busy Palmer St turn-off to the Harbour Bridge from William St.

The move forces 25,000 motorists a day to pay $1.63 and use the Cross City Tunnel for less than 1km _ netting tunnel operators $15 million a year.

Roads Minister Joe Tripodi yesterday defended the plans as the NRMA prepared to mount a campaign against the added toll slug.

"The Government is aiding and abetting people who are ripping off motorists," NRMA president Allan Evans said.

"They are taxed to the eyeballs already and this is double taxation when you consider fuel and registration, then you get tolls to drive on the roads you've already paid for."

Drivers who want to avoid the toll will have to take a convoluted route through Kings Cross.

Mr Tripodi said the road closure would improve traffic flows and motorists would not have to use the tunnel if they didn't want to.

"Motorists will make their own decision – they're not forced to use the Cross City Tunnel, they're not forced to use any of Sydney's motorways," Mr Tripodi said.

Mr Tripodi said road changes were necessary for the tunnel's construction and "smooth running", including protecting local streets from increased levels of traffic.

RTA chief executive Paul Forward said traffic around the tunnel would be improved by the Palmer St closure.

"We have a major problem with traffic turning right off William St," Mr Forward said.

"As a result of that, two lanes of traffic queue back into the Kings Cross tunnel, blocking it.

"The Palmer St right turn is a major problem in the peak hour traffic of Sydney and the Cross City Tunnel will stop that problem."

The Opposition said the road closure was the latest scandal to plague the $680 million tunnel.

"Telling motorists to take a very long alternative route is not providing an option and it doesn't make sense," acting opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys Berejiklian said.

"All it does is show that the RTA and the State Government are not putting the interests of residents and the community first."

Former roads minister Carl Scully, who oversaw the project, has denied any responsibility for the scandal while City of Sydney Council also claim it had nothing to do with the road closures.

Cross City Tunnel chief executive Peter Sansom yesterday admitted he lives on Palmer St, the artery that will be closed to Harbour Bridge and Tunnel-bound traffic on August 28.

The toll for heavy vehicles on the M5 will rise by 60 cents, its operator Interlink Roads announced yesterday.

From midnight on August 27, tolls for trucks and other heavy vehicles will rise from $7.10 to $7.70.

Interlink Roads said the rise was in line with inflation and was the first for three years.

The price to travel the motorway by car remains unchanged at $3.30.

[JoeT]

Tunnel A Black-Spot Site Before It Opens

Andrew Clark 22/08/05
www.drive.com.au

Two speed cameras being readied for action in Sydney's new cross-city tunnel appear to contravene Government policy.

Motorists using the Cross City Tunnel will run the risk of falling foul of two speed cameras which have been positioned in direct violation of the Government's policy.

Cameras on the eastbound and westbound carriageways will be switched on as soon as the tunnel opens on Sunday to monitor the maximum speed limit of 80kmh.

The Roads and Traffic Authority's website states that cameras on urban roads are supposed to be sited only in spots with a history of 80 accidents per hundred million vehicle kilometres or, in the case of tunnels, where there is an established "problem with excessive speeding".

Critics have pointed out that the tunnel cannot have a history of speeding or accidents before it has opened.

The Opposition roads spokesman, Andrew Stoner, accused the Government of "milking" motorists.

"Labor, by installing two speed cameras in the tunnel when there are no demonstrated road safety issues, is seeking to use them as cash cows," Mr Stoner said. "It looks like a cosy deal has been done between the Labor Government and the tunnel operators to net both of them revenue."

A procurement notice states the authority has spent $439,840 on the cameras, which were supplied by Redflex Traffic Systems.

Tunnel cameras tend to be particularly lucrative as long, straight stretches of downhill road can cause involuntary speeding. Leaked figures last year suggested that two cameras in the Eastern Distributor raised $3.85 million between them in the financial year to 2004, while cameras in the Harbour Tunnel raised $148,000.

In a statement, the authority said the cameras were necessary because conventional policing was difficult in tunnels, with no space for officers to stop motorists.

"Tunnels also present access difficulties for ambulance and emergency vehicles in the event of a crash, and speed cameras have a proven effect on reducing crashes," it said.

But Bruce Joseph, a campaigner for the anti-cameras group Roadsense, said speed cameras were only meant to be used at accident black spots.

[JoeT]

Proof: Sydney Drivers Dodge Cross City Tunnel

Alexandra Smith 26/09/05
www.drive.com.au

Motorists are boycotting the Cross City Tunnel and as few as 20,000 vehicles a day are using Sydney's most expensive tollway - 20 per cent fewer than the Government claims.

A traffic count conducted for the Herald also reveals almost a third of those motorists are forced to use the tunnel because of Government road changes and only 1600 vehicles are using it in the evening peak.

On the day of the survey, last Tuesday, the chief executive of the Roads and Traffic Authority, Paul Forward, told a Government budget estimates hearing that 25,000 vehicles used the tunnel each day. Rather, only 20,073 vehicles used the tunnel that day - even though Tuesday is one of the busiest traffic days.

Anecdotal evidence suggests motorists are avoiding the hefty tolls on the tunnel and continuing to drive their old routes, and the traffic count shows the reluctance of motorists to use the 2.1-kilometre tunnel.

While the tolls on the M2 are $3.80 each way and $4 north-bound on the Eastern Distributor, the cashless Cross City Tunnel charges visitors or motorists without an electronic tag more than $10 for a return trip.

In the peak between 8am and 9am on Tuesday, 2167 vehicles used the tunnel, but almost half of those took the Palmer Street exit, which provides access to the harbour crossings for eastern suburbs motorists.

The popular short cut to the Cahill Expressway from William Street via Palmer Street was blocked when the tunnel opened last month, forcing drivers wanting to head north from the eastern suburbs to use the tunnel - at $1.66 a trip - or go via the city or Potts Point and Woolloomooloo.

The change to Palmer Street was heavily criticised by the NRMA, which published a rat-run map for motorists, advising how to reach the harbour crossings without using the tunnel.

The Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has called on the Government to make the contract it signed with CrossCity Motorway publicly available to allay fears that taxpayers' money would be used to support the project.

"There has been a tradition of the Government topping up private projects, such as the Harbour Tunnel and the airport rail link and we are worried this is what will happen with the Cross City Tunnel," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The Greens are concerned that the consortium is not getting the numbers it was hoping for and as a result the Government will be forced to subsidise the consortium … to meet conditions of the contract."

Carly Learson, a spokeswoman for the Roads Minister, Joe Tripodi, said the Government was "not under any obligation" to subsidise the operators if traffic volumes did not reach their targets. The tunnel was designed to take 90,000 cars a day from the city's congested streets, but the CrossCity Motorway boss, Peter Sansom, has admitted it would be at least 18 months before that is reached.

While the figure would be disappointing for the operator, the slow run is not unique to the Cross City Tunnel. Motorists boycotted the Eastern Distributor for months when it opened in 1999.

Steve Brien, a spokesman for the tunnel operator, said about 550,000 vehicles had used the tunnel since it opened almost a month ago, which was an average of 25,000 a day.

The Herald's traffic count did not differentiate between types of vehicles. The survey was carried out by experienced surveyors, who are regularly contracted to provide traffic counts for the RTA and road building companies. They manually counted all vehicles entering or exiting the tunnel for 24 hours from 6am on Tuesday.


Empty Avenue

- Tolls are due to rise for the second time on Saturday, and are likely to increase to at least $3.56 each way or $5.18 one way for motorists without an e-tag.

- Of the 2167 vehicles that used the tunnel last Tuesday morning, 958 came from the eastern suburbs and crossed the harbour paying a $1.66 toll, but only 1601 vehicles used the tunnel in the evening.

- The Government and the operator maintain that 25,000 cars are using the tunnel every day.

- It will be at least 18 months before the target of 90,000 cars a day is reached.

- The Government says it is under no obligation to provide financial help to the operators if the tunnel fails to reach its traffic targets

$1.00 Aust = $0.75 US 26/09/05

[chinamonty]

JoeT GMI Staff Member Nice one Joe. Congrats, but can we have the Monaro back to look at?

[JoeT]

Thanks Chinamonty. Here's some pic's of my Monaro for ya. http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/s...&postcount=180

[JoeT]

Cross City Funnel

Heath Aston 07/10/05
www.news.com.au

As motorists reacted with fury to the latest trick to herd them into the Cross City Tunnel, the RTA yesterday approved a plan to pinch lanes from city traffic - on busy Oxford St.

The latest impediment to the city's shrinking road network came as Cross City Tunnel boss Peter Sansom announced a review of charges in Sydney's loneliest tunnel.

Mr Sansom was in the sights of angry drivers after The Daily Telegraph revealed plans to force cars into the tunnel by reducing William St to one lane in each direction.

At just 21,000 cars a day, the tunnel is attracting far less than its owners expected – and budgeted for – forcing Mr Sansom to embark on a full review of marketing and charges after RTA-approved road changes failed to funnel cars into the tollway.

Although Mr Sansom said he was "looking at all options for the system", Cross City officials insisted last night there was no likelihood that the $3.56 one-way toll would be reduced.'

The $1.60 administration fee on temporary passes and motorists without e-tags could be scrapped but that would only benefit little more than 1000 people a week.

Financial analysts yesterday warned management must quickly get thousands more cars into the $680 million tunnel or face a crisis.

Tunnel management will have to calm resentment among potential patrons.

The Daily Telegraph was deluged by e-mails from angry drivers yesterday, some of who called for the planned work on William St to be picketed.

"Closing off more lanes is a stupid, costly initiative – we do not need extra wide paving on this street – we need wider lanes," reader Robyn Hall said said.

Woolloomooloo businessman Daryl Stewart said: "I eagerly anticipated the opening of the tunnel and the beautification of William St.

"I now realise the creation of a 'boulevarde' is a complete fantasy, mainly because of the volume of traffic that it will still need to carry from the North Shore to the east.

"As far as I can see William St will remain stuffed forever."

More drivers are bound to be angered to learn that Oxford St will also be narrowed within 10 days.

"Upgrade" work by the City Council will close one of three lanes east from Palmer St towards Taylor Square on the south side of Oxford St, giving the space over to Lord Mayor Clover Moore's dream of wider footpaths with trees.

The plan was put on hold by the RTA until the Cross City Tunnel opened because the tunnel was expected to take cars off the streets.

At more than 70,000 cars a day, Oxford St takes nearly four times as much traffic as the Cross City Tunnel.



Toll Won't Drop

The Daily Telegraph 07/10/05
www.news.com.au

The private operators of Sydney's new Cross City Tunnel have rejected a state government request for a reduction in tolls.

The 2.1 kilometre toll road has proved unpopular with motorists since it opened on August 28, and changes to traffic arrangements in some city streets and increased congestion has triggered public anger.

Roads Minister Joe Tripodi today met with CrossCity Motorway chief executive Peter Sansom and asked him to reduce the toll.

It is currently set at $3.56 for cars with an electronic tag and $5.18 for those without.

Mr Tripodi said the government had no power to force a reduction in the toll but told the company it would be commonsense to do so.

"They need to consider whether there would be any benefits in at least looking at some relief during the day when there are issues on the surface road," he told reporters.

"They need to convince the public that there's value for money so it's a commercial decision for them, but it's obvious that motorists are making the decision not to use the tunnel."

Mr Samson said he had a productive meeting with Mr Tripodi but he would not reduce the toll.

"I won't contemplate any toll reductions," he said after the meeting.

Opposition leader Peter Debnam said the government had made a complete mess of the tunnel project.

"I think the tunnel is in danger of becoming a $600 million white elephant," he told reporters.

Mr Debnam renewed his call for the tunnel operators to introduce a toll-free period to attract motorists to the tunnel.

[JoeT]

Cross City Tunnel Fine Print: More Bad News

Darren Goodsir 11/10/05
www.drive.com.au

Proposed road changes forcing people into the unpopular Cross City Tunnel make up the latest controversy surrounding Sydney's newest thoroughfare.

Motorists outraged by road changes linked to the opening of the Cross City Tunnel should brace themselves for more. The contract outlines a labyrinth of possible changes to make more roads on the surface harder to use than the tunnel.

The 64-page summary of the multiple contracts between the State Government and the CrossCity Motorway consortium stipulates "traffic-calming" measures on the surface aimed at controlling rising vehicle volumes as motorists try to avoid using the tunnel.

Although no restrictions to such rat-runs have occurred yet, the document foresees the first blocks in Paddington.

The papers also show the operators paid the Roads and Traffic Authority nearly $100 million for the Government's research when it evaluated the tenders.

The documents indicate the traffic-calming measures could focus on restricting "through traffic and ensure routes in [the Paddington] area, providing alternatives to the Cross City Tunnel, are relatively unattractive".

But if the authority considers further intervention is required in future years, the contract allows for "similar traffic-calming measures" in suburbs within about five kilometres of the tunnel's entrances and exits.

These include Ultimo, Pyrmont, Glebe, Darlinghurst, Bellevue Hill, Double Bay, Edgecliff, Rushcutters Bay, Woollahra, East Sydney, Haymarket and Woolloomooloo. Even the CBD could have more changes, with St Marys Road and Macquarie and Hunter streets highlighted.

The summary document, posted on the NSW Treasury website, details numerous terms binding the Government and the operators to maintain the tunnel until it reverts to public ownership in 2030, and under what circumstances the contract can be renegotiated.

The public documents do not, however, reveal the penalty clauses that could be invoked for renegotiating the contract, a move which tunnel critics have advocated as a way to reverse numerous route changes. This includes the reduction of lanes on William Street and the lack of direct access to the harbour crossings from William Street.

The contract summary also reveals the operators have future toll increases guaranteed with a floor price of 4 per cent until 2012, even if the annual inflation rate is lower. Between 2012 and 2018, the floor drops to 3 per cent, after which the operator is restricted to increasing the toll by no more than the inflation rate.

Despite criticism of high administrative fees for motorists lacking electronic tags, the document shows the authority and the company once considered making the charge on top of the toll for casual users between $5 and $8 a journey.

It is $1.60 extra now.

The operators are reviewing operations after a community backlash. They have suggested a toll-free period, variable tolling and a possible reduction of processing fees, to attract motorists.

While 20,000 cars use the tunnel each day, in the documents the authority predicts 100,000 trips a day by 2016.

Sydney's Cross City Tunnel Walk Before It's Opening To Traffic

[JoeT]

Cross City Grovel

Simon Benson & Heath Aston 14/10/05
www.news.com.au

City roads will remain as clogged as ever and further closures cannot be ruled out after the Cross City Tunnel operators came up with a gimmicky compromise for angry motorists yesterday.

In a limited cave-in to public pressure, the owners of the Cross City Tunnel will scrap its over-priced toll for three weeks from October 24.

However, the company has offered no long-term reduction to the exorbitant $3.56 toll on the 2.1km link road.

Neither would the company agree to demands to make changes to its surface-road traffic alterations – which have resulted in frustrating local traffic congestion.

The grovel to motorists yesterday followed an unprecedented backlash but appeared little more than a hollow gesture. It is unlikely to cost the owners of the $680 million road more than $1.5 million.

The backdown was only forced when Premier Morris Iemma himself met the company's management early yesterday morning.

Roads Minister Joe Tripodi had failed to secure any concession from the company since last week.

The fiasco has been the first real political test for Mr Iemma since he became Premier in August. He conceded the exercise had damaged the Government and that it would ensure it would not be repeated in future contracts.

"Obviously it's not been a good exercise," he said.

The company also agreed to scrap quarterly toll rises for 12 months, drop the unpopular casual users surcharge of $1.60 and cut monthly licence fees of $3.30 on Beep tags for six years.

In the continuing unravelling of the bungled deal, it was revealed yesterday that the RTA had known prior to the building of the Cross City Tunnel that the number of cars expected would never reach the levels the operator was hoping for.

Mr Tripodi conceded that the operators had been "bullish" about their expectations.

It has now been revealed that the RTA had far more conservative figures on the patronage and there was "disagreement between the company and the RTA".

Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealed that the expected 91,000 capacity for the tunnel was not likely to be reached until at least 2018.

Mr Tripodi said it was now up to "motorists to decide whether they continue to use the tunnel".

The tunnel's foreign backers, which include Asia's richest man Li Kashing, will forgo around $1.5 million in toll revenues during the toll-free period in the hope the tunnel will add cars to the paltry 21,000 a day that are using it now.

"We would like people to come and try the Cross City Tunnel," said tunnel boss Peter Sansom.

"We are not contemplating a toll reduction at this time ... (because) we think it's good value."

Fronting the media for the first time, CrossCity chairman Peter Tulloch admitted there was some concern from backers of the $680 million project.

"I would be lying if I said we were delighted by the numbers," he said.

"The numbers are lower than we originally anticipated but we do not have concerns at this point in time that this project can be successful."

NRMA spokesman Rob Hugh said: "The Cross City Tunnel has caved in to the pressure exerted by the NRMA over the last six months – this is a major victory for motorists."



RTA Knew Tunnel Figures Were Wrong

Simon Benson 14/10/05
www.news.com.au

The RTA (Roads & Traffic Authority) knew before the building of the Cross City Tunnel that the number of cars projected to use it would never reach the levels the operator was expecting, it was revealed yesterday.

But the company chose to ignore the RTA's estimates and went ahead with the project, resulting in major congestion to surface roads in surrounding suburbs.

Further revelations came to light yesterday when Roads Minister Joe Tripodi admitted the RTA may make changes to city road conditions, outside those included in the contract with the company, to get more cars to use the tunnel.

Mr Tripodi conceded the motorway operators had been "bullish" about their expectations of how many cars would use the tunnel daily.

He also said 90,000-car estimate was the tunnel's capacity – and may take 30 years to reach.

The RTA had far more conservative figures and there had been "disagreement" between them and the company over the matter.

"Regardless as to what the motorway company believes and what the RTA estimates are ... if they got it wrong, it's a matter for them ... it's not a matter for taxpayers," Mr Tripodi said.

"I understand there was a difference between the Government and the company on what those figures are.

"It's the operator's problem if they got their estimates wrong and they will pay the price if they got it wrong."

When pushed on the differences, Mr Tripodi said "they (the operator) had very bullish expectations of what those figures would be" and said the RTA's estimates had been more conservative.

Also, three cross bench MPs yesterday helped the Government in the upper house to keep the contents of two boxes of tunnel related documents, which the Opposition and Greens wanted released, a secret.

Unity MP Peter Wong and Christian Democrats, Fred Nile and Gordon Moyes, voted with the Government to defeat the motion by one vote after the clerk of the house advised that privileged documents could be challenged in the house.

The Government claimed it had released the 300-page tunnel deed of agreement two years ago.

However, documents it refused to release at the time included traffic modelling, financial arrangements and management plans.

"The Government washed its hands of resolving the crisis today when it voted to stop critical documents about tunnel operations being made public," Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said.

Sydney's unloved & unused Cross City Tunnel

[JoeT]

No Way Out Of Tunnel Torture

Anne Davies & Matthew Moore 21/10/05
www.drive.com.au

The State Government will be liable for hundreds of millions of dollars if it broke undertakings to funnel cars into the Cross City Tunnel.

The State Government would have to buy out the Cross City Tunnel operators and pay expected profits of up to $100 million a year for the next 30 years if it broke undertakings to funnel cars into the tunnel.

Documents released yesterday reveal that while the Government may have shed the risk of building and running the tunnel, it has been forced to indemnify the operators against changes to the roads above.

These pledges mean Sydney is locked into its new traffic restrictions or the Roads and Traffic Authority will be liable for hundreds of millions of dollars. This explains why the Premier, Morris Iemma, has been reluctant to push for the reopening of William Street's lanes despite outrage from motorists over traffic jams.

The project deed says William Street will be narrowed to one car lane and one bus lane each way, along with a host of other changes to city traffic. Reversing any of these changes would trigger a "material adverse event". Section 19.2 of the project deed says that if the RTA stops funnelling cars into the tunnel it must negotiate with the operators to "pay … interest payments, and repay the principal owing under the debt financing documents". The RTA must also pay "either the equity return they would have received … or the base case equity return", whichever is lower.

Separate documents outline the base case, which envisages 100,000 cars using the $680 million tunnel by 2016. This would deliver revenue of $157 million and profit after tax of about $57 million.

There does not appear to be any mechanism for the RTA to reverse the road closures even if people do not use the tunnel. In fact, the contract envisages more road closures if people use rat runs to avoid the tunnel.

This financial year the operators expected $52 million in revenue but an operating loss after tax. By 2035, revenue will have jumped to $281 million, and profit $126 million.

According to a document labelled project summary, the tunnel consortium expects an annual return on its investment of 12.83 per cent to 16 per cent.

Before signing off on the deal in 2002, the chief executive of the RTA, Paul Forward, told the then roads minister, Carl Scully, that the Cross City Tunnel consortium had been chosen because it offered "a significantly greater financial benefit to government" and that all tenderers had "required traffic restrictions".

But Mr Scully was only warned in general terms about the damages which would arise if the road configuration was altered.

Lee Rhiannon, the Greens MP who led the campaign for the release of the documents, said it appeared the RTA would lose up to $24 million if public transport was increased around the tunnel. "I can't tell you over what period of time the RTA will lose the $24 million, because so much of the information is not clear."

A spokesman for the Roads Minister, Joe Tripodi, said the Government had no intention of breaking its contract, and any losses would be carried by the company. The decision to approve the project was based on independent traffic forecasts, he said.


Hands Off
The Contract Demands:

William Street - One general lane, one transit lane.

Park Street - Road space next to Hyde Park to be shrunk for a bus lane.

Druitt Street - Closed to westbound traffic between Clarence and Kent streets.

Kings Cross tunnel - Roads not to be altered.

[JoeT]

Empty Tunnel Attracts The Speedsters

Frank Walker 24/10/05
www.drive.com.au

The lure of an empty stretch of tunnel proves too much for over a thousand speeding motorists.

Enticed, perhaps, by the empty road ahead, more than a thousand motorists have been caught speeding through the Cross City Tunnel.

Cameras have caught 1060 motorists exceeding the 80kmh limit between August 28 - when the tunnel opened - and October 13, an average of 24 motorists a day.

Even if those drivers exceeded the limit by less than 15kmh, their transgressions would have netted the Government $79,500 in fines.

From tomorrow the controversial tunnel will be toll-free for three weeks.

The Government and the operators have been stung by condemnation of the $680 million project, which has been branded a white elephant.

Estimates that 90,000 cars a day would use the 2.1-kilometre tunnel have been hopelessly wrong, with less than 25,000 travelling through it.

The $3.56 toll will return from November 13, and, despite widespread calls for it to be reduced, the operators have refused.

Drag Strip: An Empty Cross City Tunnel

[JoeT]

Future New South Wales Motorway Projects To Be Reviewed: Iemma

News Limited 24/10/05
www.news.com.au

The NSW government is to review future motorway projects because of the widespread dissatisfaction with Sydney's Cross City Tunnel.

Premier Morris Iemma said today the review would look at the financing options for motorways and the use of planning conditions such as road alterations.

It also would examine requirements for public disclosure of contracts and consider possible improvements in public consultation.

"We have heard the anger and frustration of motorists in the last couple of weeks about the Cross City motorway," Mr Iemma told reporters.

"I've said that we would examine all of the issues and the processes and look to improve for the future."

But he stressed that the government would continue to use public-private partnerships to finance future road projects.

"We are not walking away from working with the private sector," he said.

A lack of patronage has forced the private operators of the Cross City Tunnel to announce a three-week toll-free period, beginning today.

Sydney motorists have been angered by changes to traffic conditions near the tunnel, which were designed to make it a more attractive option than above-ground roads. The changes were part of the operator's contract with the government.

[JoeT]

Free At Last & Up Go Tunnel Numbers

Alexandra Smith 25/10/05
www.smh.com.au

A free ride through the Cross City Tunnel managed to entice some disgruntled motorists to use the tollway yesterday - but only 10,000 more than last week's daily average, when the trip cost $3.56 each way.

Traffic modelling dated December 17, 2002 - the day before contracts were signed - predicted 84,488 vehicles a day would use the tunnel within its first six months. The modelling was based on the tunnel opening before Christmas 2004. The documents, tabled in Parliament last week after the Government was forced to release the contract for the tunnel, said traffic would then increase to 90,000 cars a day within three years.

Instead, the tunnel has barely managed to attract 20,000 cars since it opened on August 28, and the operators, CrossCity Motorway, have said it may take two years to reach its traffic targets.

For the first time in eight weeks, there was a stream of cars in the tunnel yesterday and traffic flow improved on the usually choked William Street, which is being reduced to two lanes.

But it took a three-week freeze on tolls to make it happen. And regardless of how many extra cars use the tunnel in the three-week, toll-free period, the operators will not budge on the toll price.

The operators insist an average of 25,000 vehicles have been using the tunnel each day and based on those figures, the company will lose $1.8 million in the three-week free period.

The chief executive of the CrossCity Motorway, Peter Sansom, said at least 35 per cent more cars used the tunnel yesterday, and the number for the first 24 hours would be about 34,000. "What we want people to do is to get underground and work out what the Cross City Tunnel does for them," Mr Sansom said.

Mr Sansom initially said traffic had increased by about 20 per cent but by mid-afternoon, he had increased that to about 35 per cent, a figure he was pleased with.

Mr Sansom said he expected more motorists to use the tunnel in the coming weeks, but he ruled out reducing the $3.56 each-way toll, despite it being seen as the major reason that motorists have been avoiding the two-kilometre tunnel. Under the contract, the operators could have increased the toll every three months by at least 1 per cent but instead have put a stop to more increases, and the toll will not rise again until July 1 next year.

The Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, said yesterday the Government should "come clean on the number of cars using the Cross City Tunnel" throughout the toll freeze.

"They need to know whether the toll-free period - as requested by the operators before its opening but rejected by Labor - is having any impact on building public confidence," Mr Debnam said.

"The traffic figures must be progressively released as they are compiled. We also need assurances the figures are accurate and independently calculated, perhaps by the NRMA."

Mr Debnam said tolls should not have been imposed in the first weeks. "Had the operators been allowed by Joe Tripodi to have a toll-free period when the tunnel opened, Labor may not be in the crisis it is today," he said.

[JoeT]

Free Cross City Tunnel Ride Extended

Alexandra Smith 14/11/05
www.smh.com.au

Motorists will be able to use the Cross City Tunnel free until the end of the month, as the operators try desperately to attract more custom.

However, cars will be kept out of the tunnel after 10pm for three nights this week while it is closed for maintenance.

About 53,000 cars have been using the tunnel each day since the $3.56 toll was removed, the operators say, but as few as 20,000 cars a day were doing so before the free period.

The eastbound tunnel from Darling Harbour to Rushcutters Bay was to be closed between 10pm yesterday and 5am today and will close again tonight, with the westbound tunnel to follow for the next two nights.

A spokesman for the Roads and Traffic Authority, Alec Brown, said it was standard for other Sydney tunnels, such as the Harbour Tunnel, to close overnight for maintenance work.

Peter Sansom, chief executive of CrossCity Motorway, said the company was "pleased with the growth of traffic over the past three weeks" but he wanted people to continue to "test drive" it.

"Each week during this period we have seen patronage grow," Mr Sansom said.

"It is clear that people are seeing the benefits of the Cross City Tunnel in saving time, saving petrol and reducing the wear and tear on their cars."

Mr Sansom said the decision to continue the free run was made after analysis of traffic figures, but he refused to release specific traffic data and had only released broad estimates.

Graham Cassidy, a spokesman for the operator, said the tunnel would undergo routine maintenance checks every three months, especially in its infancy, and the toll-free extension had nothing to do with the works. The tunnel has been open less than three months.

Mr Cassidy said there had been no moves to lower the $3.56 each way toll, despite criticisms that it was too high and was keeping motorists away from the tunnel.

The Premier, Morris Iemma, welcomed the extension of the free period but said the challenge was for the operators to look at "permanent incentives to provide more goodwill for motorists".

"Today's announcement is encouraging. It's further evidence on the part of the company that they are taking seriously the issue of building goodwill," Mr Iemma said.

The Greens MP, Lee Rhiannon, has planned a protest at 7.30am today at the Rushcutters Bay entrance to the tunnel to call on the Government to renegotiate the tunnel's contract and filter the exhaust stack.

"The Government is again not dealing with this debacle and we have clear legal advice that the Government can renegotiate the contract, which is what they should do," Ms Rhiannon said.

The Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, said the Cross City Tunnel was a bad deal from the start and the Government should have initially agreed to the operator's request for a month of free tolls.

"Extending the period is common sense and what the operator originally asked for," Mr Debnam said.

"It still doesn't address the major issue of the theft of the local roads and again I say the Government must renegotiate the contract to reclaim the local roads."

[JoeT]

It would be a big read if I posted all of them on the same day, but the last post before today was three weeks ago, with the first post two months ago.
I've posted these article's more for the Aussie's than the international crowd, but it is an insight for other at how dodgy these public/private partnership projects can be anywhere around the globe.

The whole Cross City Tunnel debacle plus the Lane Cove tunnel collapes have been big issues down here, with several major public/private partnership projects falling over, struggling financially or costing the public purse more than it should.

The New South Wales state government has screwed this state over in the last decade, and now we are paying for it.
We had an Airport-City railway opened in Sydney just before the 2000 Olympics thats has failed to make any profits for its investors, and is now being propped up by public money. The exact same story happened later in Brisbane.
Victoria has had its share of problems too. I remember a few years back a new road tunnel thats was built under Melbourne's Yarra River started leaking like a sieve soon after opening.

It just goes to show politicians haven't always got the public interest in mind.

I hope I haven't scared you off coming to Australia.
Its not all that bad. For what we lack in good public servants, we gain in great cars.

There is a mob in the US that imports Holden Ute's fully converted.
I can't remember there name, but someone here would.

[JoeT]

Boycott Is Back: Traffic Dives 44% As Free Ride Ends

Alexandra Smith 02/12/05
www.drive.com.au

Just hours after the cross-city tunnel toll returned motorists were already dodging it in droves.

The boycott was immediate. It only took 12 hours after the $3.56 toll was reintroduced on the Cross City Tunnel yesterday for traffic figures to slump by 44 per cent, or 10,000 cars.

Figures released at 1pm were bad news for the tunnel operators, CrossCity Motorway, showing that last Thursday, during the toll-free period, 22,136 cars used the tunnel between midnight and midday. Yesterday, that figure had plummeted to 12,406 cars for the same period.

But the general manager of CrossCity Motorway, Peter Sansom, denied that motorists who had only used the tunnel when it was free would stay away now that a toll was payable.

"What it means is those people will actually come back to using the tunnel when they understand the benefits, and many of them will," he said.

Mr Sansom ruled out lowering the toll, widely seen as the reason behind motorists shunning the tunnel, or a second toll-free period.
CrossCity Motorway lost $4.5 million when the tolls were removed.

"It was certainly a worthwhile investment to give a toll-free period because it allowed the motorists to understand the benefits of the Cross City Tunnel," Mr Sansom said. The controversial road changes would definitely not be reversed, he said, because they were offering public transport improvements for commuters.

"Those improvements are going to come into fruition in the near future and the buses will move easier through the city." He added: "We hope people will get underground because if we want to reduce congestion in the city, we need to take cars out of the city."

Several of the final road closures were introduced this week, including reducing William Street to one general lane and a transit lane, and the addition of a westbound lane in Bathurst Street.

The Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, called on the Premier, Morris Iemma, to renegotiate the Government's contract with the tunnel operators to reverse traffic changes forcing motorists into the tunnel.

"Don't put it off," Mr Debnam said. "Go back and renegotiate that contract because you've got to reclaim those public roads.

"The numbers were wrong, they didn't do their homework, [the Cross Tunnel operator is] in a weak position and this is the right time ... for the Government to step in and renegotiate."