Alexandra Smith of the SMH responds to the news that the RTA has signed a contract for the M2 widening project by emphasising the increase in road tolls that will result. Total tolls to go from Windsor to the city will be more than $20 a day, to which must be added cost of petrol, parking, and running cost of your car. If only a railway option was available, I suspect most commuters would take it! The M2 contract extends the duration of the tolls from 2042 to 2046, long after the north-west rail link should be operational. Kristina promised in February that the rail will be operational in 2024. The extra tolls should encourage people to use the new train.
The Roads Minister David Borger says the project would cut about 15 minutes off a trip from Blacktown to Lane Cove, but the M2 eastbound currently runs freely most of the day, so the extra lane won't make any difference to those journeys. The road is only at a standstill during the morning rush, and it is not obvious how turning a two lane car park into a three lane carpark will result in specifically a fifteen minute shorter trip.
At least everyone is now finally agreed on the north-west rail link!
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