Interstate freeway tolls

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.

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?

I use the NSW RMS (old RTA) etag and is good everywhere - doesn't cost anything for the account either.

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.

There are no tolls in WA, NT, SA, or TAS. Just Qld, NSW and VIC.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

To the best of my limited knowledge there is no "toll" on a "freeway"
mike

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

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.

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.