Many motorists will have a wry smile at this newly imposed " congestion tax ". It is simply a money grab by a state government desperate for funds.
It will do absolutely nothing to reduce congestion. It seems to imply that motorists are bad people who choose to drive to the city in the morning and return after work because they enjoy doing it. They have no choice !
Like all big cities Sydney conforms to " the three eights rule ".
Eight hours at work - eight hours recreation - and eight hours sleeping.
The only problem with that is the " working eight " - which just happen to be between nine in the morning and five in the afternoon.
To conform to that working pattern traffic must approach the city before nine and returns to " the burbs " when work ceases - and that is where the word " congestion " enters the lexicon.
This word congestion then goes hand in hand with the pecking order. Where do you find the best doctors - the most prestigious law firms - the stock traders - the big department stores ?
They are all concentrated in the inner city - and with them the plethora of government departments.
Perhaps the government is taxing the wrong target. Hitting motorists who have no option than to drive to the city - because the city lacks sufficient public transport to provide a viable alternative - is like shooting fish in a barrel.
A better option would be a stick and carrot approach to persuade those concentrated in the city centre to decentralise.
That has been a Utopian dream for decades - but without an action plan.
This increase in toll charges masquerading as a " congestion measure " will mean an increase in taxi fares, courier charges and added costs to every aspect of industry that delivers goods.
It will add to state government coffers - but it will also increase inflation !
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