Interstate freeway tolls

Submitted: Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 11:53
ThreadID: 110167 Views:2671 Replies:14 FollowUps:26
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Good morning Explorers,

I am interested to find out what present travellers do about using freeways across the various states which now just use automatic scan tolling systems. It seems a cumbersome notion to get E tags for each state if you are just passing through but waiting to get a heavily inflated fine down the track does not seem an attractive proposition. What is the best approach?

Harryopal
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Reply By: Slow one - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:02

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:02
Just register with someone like go via giving them your credit card details and number plate details for both vehicle and if you have one trailer or caravan.

Even though go via is Qld government it will cover all of Australia. You can even nominate the time period you want it for.
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Follow Up By: Hoyks - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:42

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:42
I too am with Go-Via and I got a tag for my mum that lives in NSW. She drove to Melbourne down the coast road and it all got billed to my account with no issues.

I hardly used toll roads, so avoided getting a tag for years. I pay online and have a $30 recharge set up if my balance gets to $10. It lasts me almost a year.
The NSW mob wanted a non-refundable security deposit to get each tag. WTF? If I can't ever get it back, then it isn't a deposit.
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce C (NSW) - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 18:25

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 18:25
I am another one with Go Via.
At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
restless and lost on a track that I know. HL.

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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 12:24

Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 12:24
NON refundable security deposit......what a load of carp (yes a pile of stinking ferral fish)......they want you to pay for the tag....and are quite happy to lie about it.

They must think we are all stupid.

If that is an indicator of their attitude to the customer...well.

cheers
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Follow Up By: garrycol - Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 13:52

Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 13:52
Hoyks - Who is the NSW mob??

I am with RMS and the deposit is refundable and additional tags are free (no deposit required). Earlier this year I went to my local RMS Office and got the second on on the spot - no exchange of cash.
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Reply By: HKB Electronics - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:19

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:19
I'm with City Link in Melbourne, when I travel interstate to date the etag has worked
in Sydney and from memory in Brisbane, but not sure about that one.

I assume they have reciprocal arrangements with all the other states but could be wrong?

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Follow Up By: HKB Electronics - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:21

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:21
Just checked, city link says covered on all toll roads in Australia.

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Follow Up By: Racey - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 18:35

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 18:35
I agree. I believe if you have an account with either Vic, NSW or QLD the E tag will work where ever you are. If you don't hold an account then you must contact each state when you use their Toll roads.
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Reply By: garrycol - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:25

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:25
I use the NSW RMS (old RTA) etag and is good everywhere - doesn't cost anything for the account either.
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Follow Up By: harryopal - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:35

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:35
Thank you all for your prompt responses. May all your future miles be free of potholes, traffic fines or mishaps.

Yours tropically, Harryopal
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Reply By: vk1dx - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 13:03

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 13:03
My wife logs onto some site and pays the toll of an evening.

We wont give our card details for any direct debiting to anyone. My sister died last fortnight and we are having a bugger of a time getting all the money back that was debited after her death. Yes the kids should have killed the account immediately but grief can stuff up ones priorities. The children will get there but it takes time.
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Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 13:52

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 13:52
There are no tolls in WA, NT, SA, or TAS. Just Qld, NSW and VIC.
Michelle Martin
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Follow Up By: harryopal - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 14:53

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 14:53
Thank you for your response Michelle Martin.

Yours tropically Harryopal Martin... as it happens.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:00

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:00
Also these systems do caters for tourists by allowing you to drive without paying the tolll provided you ring up within 3 days and pay by credit card over the phone. There are usually signs to advise the number so no need to register in advance.

Michelle Martin
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Follow Up By: BunderDog - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:14

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:14
There is a problem for the tourist system..........Friends of ours were leaving Sydney for an overseas flight very early one morning and they were in a rental car so they called the 13... number on the signboards and got a recording that said call back after 9.00 am...........(Just remember that the 13.....number can not be called from overseas) . Well they notified the rental car company who said no problem the tolls would be charged to their credit card. Several months later they were charged over $1000 for Tolls, late fees and service charges on the three tolls they missed paying.
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Follow Up By: Member Andys Adventures - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:41

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:41
I drove down the M2/M7 a couple of years ago and did not pay. Got the bill in the post $36.00. I would have saved $25.00 if I rang and pay it the next day.

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Follow Up By: rocco2010 - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 16:12

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 16:12
Bunderdog

Wow, that's painful.

I thought I was hard done by a couple of years ago when I got a bit lost when returning a hire car in London.

Unbeknowns to me I ventured into the congestion zone. First I knew was a month or so later when a $175 charge lobbed on my credit card, including a fat service fee for the hire company.

You live and learn

Cheers

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Follow Up By: SDG - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:34

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:34
No good if you don't have access to credit card like me.
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Follow Up By: Gronk - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 21:10

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 21:10
Sorry mate, but this is the 21st century !!!!

Whether you like it or not, a credit card is almost mandatory these days...unless you live in the desert and intend to stay there !!
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Follow Up By: SDG - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 22:20

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 22:20
lol. Never needed one, not about to get one. I know more people without one, than with.
Likely to get knocked back if I apply any way.
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 10:22

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 10:22
Yes Australia is much like The US in that regard
no toll roads until you head East
we drove from san Francisco to New York and it wasnt until Chicago we saw toll roads - then they came in ever frequenting numbers - probablly cost $50 to get fromChicago to New York

we got stuck into a wrong lane once so dint go through the pay booth (yes they have them)
it was just a matter of logging onto the website displayed on the signs and paying the $3.50 or whatever it was
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Reply By: SDG - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 14:01

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 14:01
Queensland have a system where you call into the servo before the toll, pay for that particular stretch, and away you go.
Did this last year as I generally only hit a toll once every couple of years. In Sydney I go around them.
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 16:59

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 16:59
It worked that way for us in Melbourne. We were going to Tasmania the next day and would have been outside of the period for paying by phone when we got there. There was a ticket machine at the servo to prepay for the one day.

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Follow Up By: SDG - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:37

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:37
Good to know if I need one in Melbourne next year. In QLD, it was done over the counter.
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Reply By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:30

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 15:30
I am a NSW resident and I use Queensland's Go Via.
I have one account and two tags, the second tag is free. They both are for that matter.
$25 sets up your account and that is $25 in pre paid tolls.
My account is paid by Bpay so no card details over the phone if you wish. I receive a statement each month and top up if necessary.
The system is convenient no writing down transit times or getting in touch with the Motorway organisation at a later time to pay a toll. The mobile phone call will cost more than the toll.
The tag works in all states.
Living is a journey,it depends on where you go !
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Reply By: harryopal - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:40

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 17:40
The Queensland Go Via system is obviously the best way to go. Getting late payment fees was at the back of my mind when I made the enquiry but I feel for that poor Brit who got stung. What rotten service from the car rental and what a lousy system anyway. Can't begin to imagine how many thousands of people who have been slugged over the years.

I could see myself not having a pen to note the toll call number or mislaying the bit of paper with the telephone number or just simply forgetting.

Thanks for the variety of responses. Happy toll penalty free motoring to you all.

Yours tropically, Harryopal.
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Reply By: TomH - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 19:43

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 19:43
My son is bad at paying his tolls Went in the other day and paid his account was $180

for 10 penalties and $39 approx for tolls Pays to do it on time.

When in Canada we mistakenly got on the 407?? at Toronto which gets dearer the further you go.

Thought it would cost a fortune but rental company only charged me $13 when the Toll outfit reckoned it could be $37+.

Happy with that.. Rental company was good as well Took a car back 15 hours early and got a day taken off when contract said they wouldnt.
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Follow Up By: Member - Frank P (NSW) - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 19:57

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 19:57
Yes, I think the Australian service industry has a lot of catching up to do in regard to customer service.

And prices, especially in NSW.
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Reply By: Member-George (WA) - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 20:26

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 20:26
I have the best system of all, it is called an in-car Navigation system.
I simply click on the "Avoid Toll Roads" button and then enter my destination point.
No tolls to pay,
Downside is a few more traffic lights add another 10-15 minutes to the journey, but who cares when you are a tourist.
Just my thoughts. Cheers
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Follow Up By: disco driver - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 21:51

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 21:51
If you don't have to live in the rip-off states of Vic, NSW and Qld use your Navman/Tomtom or what ever and do as George and I do,
set it at "AvoidToll Roads" and explore the area as you travel to your destination.
As George said, only a few more minutes, and who cares when there's no real hurry.
Those gadgets are a bonus for those from WA, where our licences are cheaper, CTP is included in the price and caravans cost around $100 pa to license.
Who would live anywhere else?

Disco.
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Follow Up By: TomH - Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 22:32

Monday, Nov 17, 2014 at 22:32
Most of us actually.
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Follow Up By: Member - Laurie K (WA) - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 03:41

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 03:41
Yeah Tom, you can't be a winner all the time, can you :-)

I have a Go Via account from when I was in Qld in 2010, and still get a statement every month telling me I have a $16 credit ….. I avoided the toll roads last year….. but nice to know that I can forget about it when touring if needs be.

cheers
Laurie
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Follow Up By: TomH - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 09:07

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 09:07
That wont last long in QLD any more Is $4.20 on the Gateway now and worse on some of the tunnels
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Reply By: mike39 - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 08:13

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 08:13
To the best of my limited knowledge there is no "toll" on a "freeway"
mike
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Reply By: harryopal - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 10:37

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 10:37
I just went to the Queensland Go Via site to log in details to my camping notes and founds this notice:

Security alert - warning for all go via customers
Scammers using a type of phone scam are currently targeting motorists. These scammers are contacting motorists at home and prompting them to make a payment to their tolling account by visiting a website or calling a phone number.

Harryopal
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Reply By: Ron N - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 12:32

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 12:32
The more I read about tollways, the more I love living in W.A. We have W.A. Govts of both persuasions that believe that tollways are retrogressive, unnecessary, and they anger motorists.
We pay dozens of taxes already to get good roads, why should we be taxed again just to use a road?

Tollways are indicative of a failure on politicians part to properly manage taxpayers funds.
Politicians should be investing in upgraded infrastructure regularly as part of good long-term planning.

Instead, we get pollies (and councils) who blow money on useless projects, don't make any plans beyond how to get elected again - and who create private toll road projects where every finance institution, consultant, facilitator, project manager, and 1000 other useless hangers on, get their pockets lined with gold, as part of the toll road gravy train.

Being a pragmatic sort of individual, I've never taken up a protest against anything in my life.
However, if any future W.A. Govt attempts to introduce toll roads to W.A., I'll be amongst the protest set setting fire to tyres on the steps of Parliament House and throwing rotten fruit at the pollies setting about their introduction.
I'll do the same, if they try to introduce those mind-numbing social disasters - pokies - into W.A. on a large scale, as well.
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Follow Up By: harryopal - Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 13:24

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014 at 13:24
I agree with you wholeheartedly Ron. I left Melbourne in 1997 after Jeff Kennett privatized the Westgate freeway and I was going to have to pay a private company to drive a few miles to and from work each day. (Mind you Melbourne's long, dreary winters had a bit to do with it.)

I feel a bit the same way about entrance fees to national parks. Instead of having a wonderful feeling of escaping in to nature it feels like going into a caged enclosure. It also adversely changes the relationship between rangers and visitors where the rangers are now seen as money collectors instead of being people with knowledge about the natural features of the park to share with everyone.

We pay taxes for things that matter. Far too often the extra money raising becomes another means of people to enrich themselves. While there are many thousand of volunteer who do selflessly raise money for `charities' the ugly reality is that professional fund raisers employ young people to trade on guilt to hand over money for `cancer research', `saving the planet' and other such quests. The professionals costs often soak up most of the money.

We live in an imperfect world.

Happy motoring for all that.

Harryopal



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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 12:41

Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 12:41
If ya realy want to get narky about the whole thing.

There is an argument that rolls all the way back to magna carta, that more or less goes along the line that toll roads on crown land are simply not constitutionally legal........thats all government owned roads.

Its all to do with the freedom of the Kings/Queens highway.

The only toll road that is not effected by this argument is one that travels thru private properlty.......um not many of those.

Yeh its all a picky little argument that would constantly take up time rolloing it thru the courts...but it does exist.

There is also another argument about late fees and other such penalties not being legal under federal legeslation.....

Alll very comvoluted.....but these arguments exist.

cheers
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Reply By: Ron N - Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 15:42

Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 15:42
Good luck with your lawyer, Bantam, when you try your argument out in court!

I think a lot of people are confused about "rights" and "freedoms" here in Australia.
They become confused with a lot of American propaganda from American Libertarians, who essentially believe no Govt has any authority over people.
This is not true anywhere in the world - even in America, with its tradition of grassroots rebellion against authority.

The Australian Constitution has no Bill of Rights, unlike the American Constitution, and it has no personal freedoms specifically outlined.
Under our Constitution we can have our travel curtailed under quite a number of circumstances, by legally and constitutionally authorised laws, enacted by the Govt of the day.

One of the most powerful laws in our Constitution is the power given to our elected Govt to restrict travel for reasons of national security and keeping of the peace.
In the event of War in Australia, travel restrictions on everyone would almost certainly be introduced, and the Govt of the day has the necessary powers to do so under the Constitution.

In the case of the toll roads, they are not "Govt roads", they are privately funded constructions, and ownership of the land the toll road is constructed on, is vested in the company who builds the toll road - just the same as you have freehold or leasehold over the land you own, that gives you rights over it.

A lot of toll road agreements are limited to set periods (something like 50 yrs), after which time the toll road reverts to the Govt. In most toll road agreements, they are referred to as "Franchises" and "Concessions", and these arrangements are all legally and constitutionally authorised.

I think some of the misconceptions that arise in peoples minds come from the criminal laws that originally were specifically aimed at highway robbery.
These laws contained wording such as "infringing on the rights of citizens to freely travel the Kings/Queens highway, etc".

This terminology was used specifically to identify UNAUTHORISED, ILLEGAL and CRIMINAL stoppages of citizens upon the Kings/Queen highways - not the legally and constitutionally authorised powers given to Govts of the day to enact laws, rules and regulations to facilitate peace and trade, and to control the movement of otherwise free citizens.

Cheers, Ron.
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 16:37

Wednesday, Nov 19, 2014 at 16:37
yes we have freedoms in this country but it is not a free country
while subtle countries like America give thier people far more rights and freedoms
- you be the judge if thats a good thing

can be funny. At the Mexican border Drugs are flat out being taken north because its easier to get them from there and Guns are flat out going south because its easier to get them there
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