The Big Joke Cross City Tunnell

**Stav** · 07-10-2005, 07:43 PM

Are the owners crazy?When did Ronald McDonald call the shots? This road is ridiculous.These spongers did not even put a toll booth under there.This road is supposed to be fully automatic and cashless.Well they did make it cashless Because people arent using it and neither am I!!

I see them on TV crying "oh noone is using the road" Get with the program guys.I have loose change but i dont have a dicky pass to suit you.In my businesss even chicken eggs are welcome as payment!!
Does anyone use this road?

**Stav** · 07-10-2005, 07:46 PM

not rotten or cracked eggs though!!

Dave_au · 07-10-2005, 08:00 PM

Mate, that's not the best point of opposition to this tunnel. Most city workers have etags, and additionally by only accepting tags and charging admin fees, they circumnavigate wages and other costs associated with toll booth and staff.

What is really %$^ed is that a private consortium was able to convince the RTA to change it's roads to accomodate the tunnel, and actually hamper and distrupt alternate routes to such extent that people either sit in a half hour long traffic jam or pay another $3.63 toll.

Since when should a government allow another party to convince a changing of public transit options for financial gain? If anything, you could almost say there is some form of corruption at play. Forget the NRMA whinging - we need the ICAC.

johnydep · 07-10-2005, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

...What is really %$^ed is that a private consortium was able to convince the RTA to change it's roads to accomodate the tunnel, and actually hamper and distrupt alternate routes to such extent that people either sit in a half hour long traffic jam or pay another $3.63 toll.

Since when should a government allow another party to convince a changing of public transit options for financial gain? If anything, you could almost say there is some form of corruption at play. Forget the NRMA whinging - we need the ICAC.

Well said.

How many ministers & public servants were wined & dined over this?

**Stav** · 07-10-2005, 08:14 PM

Either way we get milked like cows...

: Stay in traffic you pay go through the tunnel you pay...at least you see the sunshine upstairs!!

gtfpv · 07-10-2005, 08:06 PM

i really want a job with accc or icac . i bet they have nice gymnasiums there.

RegSpec · 07-10-2005, 08:13 PM

Theres more to the crss city tunnel fiasco than meets the eye, you should have heard Alan Jones getting stuck into Joe Tripodi on the radio this morning

:

Firefox7 · 08-10-2005, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redebxr8

Theres more to the crss city tunnel fiasco than meets the eye, you should have heard Alan Jones getting stuck into Joe Tripodi on the radio this morning

:

Not to mention what john laws said...very funny...cracked me up.

Cheers.

Dave_au · 07-10-2005, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

i really want a job with accc or icac . i bet they have nice gymnasiums there.

I know ASIC is wedged in with Macquarie Bank at No. 1. Martin Place - they have a fitness first down stairs
:ymca:

:

Dave_au · 07-10-2005, 08:18 PM

I've driven on it, it's not even a smooth sealed road, looks like Ku-ring-gai council was involved in it's construction in some way.

RAREV8 · 07-10-2005, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

I've driven on it, it's not even a smooth sealed road, looks like Ku-ring-gai council was involved in it's construction in some way.

Ha ha! theres a truth! You need a landrover to navigate our road in Wahroonga....Hmm, nice affluent area with high rates but a sealed road surface? No way!

I drive all over Sydney/NSW (I'm a rep) and I have never yet used the cross city tunnel and have no plans to. I can't just collect a tag so, in turn, they can't just collect money from me! This is not difficult to avoid for me either. Frankly, I was stupidly under the impression that the tunnel would be more extensive than it actually is........they will reap exactly what they originally sowed....

XLS99 Ute man · 07-10-2005, 08:37 PM

im sure that the government would get a % of the money from the cross city tunnel

Dave_au · 07-10-2005, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XLS99 Ute man

im sure that the government would get a % of the money from the cross city tunnel

They certainly would. Some could even call it a kickback!

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottishxc

Ha ha! theres a truth! You need a landrover to navigate our road in Wahroonga....Hmm, nice affluent area with high rates but a sealed road surface? No way!

We need to justify our land yachts someway! Round Ku-ring-gai, mummy really does need a range-rover to avoid the potholes on the way to soccer practice!

XLS99 Ute man · 07-10-2005, 08:45 PM

you'd be laughin if you owned even just 1 toll booth in sydney or anywhere for that fact. i could retire at 20!

**Stav** · 07-10-2005, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XLS99 Ute man

you'd be laughin if you owned even just 1 toll booth in sydney or anywhere for that fact. i could retire at 20!

I like this mans thinking.You and me mate...Oceania Tollbooths pty ltd// "the friendly tollbooth company"

Jamie XR6 · 07-10-2005, 11:06 PM

Get an Etag.

I can't wait for the Harbour tunnel to become coinless. I'm sick to death of getting caught behind people fumbling for change. The RTA really need more than one dedicated Etag lane, it's ridiculous.

You know you are going to go through a toll before you get on the road. Get the change ready before you leave.

**Stav** · 08-10-2005, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie XR6

Get an Etag.

I can't wait for the Harbour tunnel to become coinless. I'm sick to death of getting caught behind people fumbling for change. The RTA really need more than one dedicated Etag lane, it's ridiculous.

You know you are going to go through a toll before you get on the road. Get the change ready before you leave.

Jamie.Mum and dad drivers who occasionally go on these roads dont want a cashless system,they dont want the tag. They need a cash booth.If I wemt to Brisbane and they had a cashless toll booth and got caught in it with my mcdonalds change in the centre console I would not be impressed.

I thought that legal tender in Australia was the accepted means of currency?I do assure you that if I went out to dinner with my family that if I pulled out my toll pass to pay id be washing a few dishes and then some.Has our money become prostituted by these organisations? I have money in my pocket and it should be my way of paying for goods and services.

What is happening to the Australian Constitution? Why is our legal tender illegal in these tunnels? Who runs this place anymore?

Does this mean that if I cant spend money here then what chance have I got in another county? What about tourists to Sydney? Theyll go back to Japan and say "dont go to Australia..we paid a fine in Austarlia because they dont accept their own money in that tunnel!!

The immediate results and theories are apparent but what happens when the fundamental basis on which Australia is made is ignored. If we let them get away with it then they will erode our civil rights more and more away

They can keep and enjoy their tunnel.

Jamie XR6 · 08-10-2005, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by useless

Jamie.Mum and dad drivers who occasionally go on these roads don't want a cashless system,they don't want the tag. They need a cash booth.If I wemt to Brisbane and they had a cashless toll booth and got caught in it with my mcdonalds change in the centre console I would not be impressed.

I thought that legal tender in Australia was the accepted means of currency?I do assure you that if I went out to dinner with my family that if I pulled out my toll pass to pay id be washing a few dishes and then some.Has our money become prostituted by these organisations? I have money in my pocket and it should be my way of paying for goods and services.

What is happening to the Australian Constitution? Why is our legal tender illegal in these tunnels?

Does this mean that if I cant spend money here then what chance have I got in another county? What about tourists to Sydney? Theyll go back to Japan and say "dont go to Australia..we paid a fine in Austarlia because they dont accept their own money in that tunnel!!

The immediate results and theories are apparent but what happens when the fundamental basis on which Australia is made is ignored. If we let them get away with it then they will erode our civil rights more and more away.

Mate, I understand where you are coming from. Yes there is a lot of people that don't travel these roads enough to warrant owning an Etag.

My frustration is from someone who has one and who also crosses the Harbour tunnel twice a day. I come in from the North Shore, for me to get to the only dedicated Etag lane, I have to immediately cross 4 lanes of heavy traffic that's going faster than the posted 80km as soon as I hit the bottom of the off ramp.

I do this every morning, if I can't get across I get stuck in the coin basket lane and have to wait for everybody to fumble around with change. A couple of weeks ago I had to lock up the brakes because a couple with Queensland plates stopped at the Etag only booth looking for the basket. Now I can understand that it's probably the first time they have crossed the city. What I can't understand is how they managed to stay in the Etag only lane when there is signs painted on the road and by the road side stating that it's an Etag only lane and Cash is to keep to the left. Also the big sign saying Do Not Stop would have been a big give away. It was also early morning on a weekend with no traffic so there is no way they got stuck in that lane by no one letting them in.

There is better systems than the Etag and I mean cashless systems. Melbourne's set up is great, you just drive through and if you haven't organised your pass before hand, you do it after the trip. In this day and age in Australia's largest city you would think that wold have their act together by now.

Rodp · 07-10-2005, 08:48 PM

Aren't they also trying to block more roads in the city to try and ferry cars into the cross city tunnel? It should be a reasonably priced (geez, I think it should be free) alternate route if they expect drivers to use it. Don't we have a levy on fuel prices which is meant to pay for our roads!?

XLS99 Ute man · 07-10-2005, 08:51 PM

well you would think if the tunnel is there to ease traffic congestion, they would leave all roots open, so you can choose different paths for whatever reason.
having that tunnel should be a gift from the government from all the traffic fines we have paid over the years
oh and NO TOLLS!

GTP 320 · 07-10-2005, 11:35 PM

Does Etag's apply to the Sydney Bridge yet,or is it still a toll by paying by cash ?
Cheers John

Jamie XR6 · 07-10-2005, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTP 320

Does Etag's apply to the Sydney Bridge yet,or is it still a toll by paying by cash ?
Cheers John

Hi John

No, coin baskets are still the majority on the Bridge. It's crazy that Sydney still persists in cash tolls, I really can't understand it. Every time the State Government suggest that cash is a thing of the past the civil libertarians scream loudly about how not every one has a visa card etc. Strange that Victoria can get away with it with a smaller population than Sydney.

3Toed · 08-10-2005, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie XR6

Strange that Victoria can get away with it with a smaller population than Sydney.

It's also amazing that Melbourne has glorious roads like the Western Ring Road and the road to Geelong that are between 3 and 5 lanes wide and are FREE. Only the Citylink is tolled.

Yet the incompetant knobs here toll us for everything and think that 2 lanes is enough in this day and age. A big Yay for Labour.

Jamie XR6 · 08-10-2005, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Toed

It's also amazing that Melbourne has glorious roads like the Western Ring Road and the road to Geelong that are between 3 and 5 lanes wide and are FREE. Only the Citylink is tolled.

Yet the incompetant knobs here toll us for everything and think that 2 lanes is enough in this day and age. A big Yay for Labour.

I'll be the first to admit that I really don't like Melbourne as a place to visit (personal view only) but the roads are fantastic. It's so easy to get from one place to another. For me the only other place that beats it is Tassie and WA.

Bossxr8 · 08-10-2005, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Toed

It's also amazing that Melbourne has glorious roads like the Western Ring Road and the road to Geelong that are between 3 and 5 lanes wide and are FREE. Only the Citylink is tolled.

Yet the incompetant knobs here toll us for everything and think that 2 lanes is enough in this day and age. A big Yay for Labour.

Don't worry mate, the speed camera's pay for these roads. The Geelong Highway was built to freeway standard with 3 lanes, which could take a 110 kmh limit, and has only been one fatality in the 2-3 years its been running at this standard and yet they keep the speed limit at 100 and are adding a whole bunch of fixed speed cameras. The road is probably the safest in the south of Victoria so why fit so called safety cameras. Its a joke.

gtfpv · 08-10-2005, 12:03 AM

once upon a time your and my taxes used to pay for roads as they are used by the public.now the fu*king governments allow them to become owned by privateers.

Jamie XR6 · 08-10-2005, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

once upon a time your and my taxes used to pay for roads as they are used by the public.now the fu*king governments allow them to become owned by privateers.

Because it's the cheaper option for them, there is no outlay for the Government.

I heard tonight on the news that not only is William street in Sydney is going from a 6 lane road to a 2 lane road (designed purely to get people into the cross city tunnel) but Oxford Street which is another major road is going to a single lane each way.

What is going through these peoples minds? Surely it's Clover Moore's way of stopping cars from entering the city.

Dave_au · 08-10-2005, 12:48 AM

:
Lets make the streets of Sydney worse so we can get a kickback from a tunnel we didn't really need that much in the first place.

As you may have noticed, my blood is boiling on this topic.

If only NSW actually had a viable opposition to our current government. Pity J Bro had too big a night out in August.

Its not as if William street has only 2 lanes. Oh wait, what do you know, it does now.....

Who in their right minds at the RTA and City of Sydney took the whole "it will ease congestion" line from the tunnel JV owners? (Please tell me, I have a friend doing the whole Amway thing, I need to send them to someone who's gullible) Their creating further congestion in the city now to force people into the tunnel! What's the logic in that.

And if only the toll was a little more respectable - say 50 or 60 cents, not 3.63 indexed for inflation! Thats just under 20c per 100m.

merlin · 08-10-2005, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by useless

Are the owners crazy?When did Ronald McDonald call the shots? This road is ridiculous.These spongers did not even put a toll booth under there.This road is supposed to be fully automatic and cashless.Well they did make it cashless Because people arent using it and neither am I!!

I see them on TV crying "oh noone is using the road" Get with the program guys.I have loose change but i dont have a dicky pass to suit you.In my businesss even chicken eggs are welcome as payment!!
Does anyone use this road?

Get with the times and buy an etag!

And dont complain, you drive a car - try wearing the damn tag around your neck everyday on a bike! :lookedat:

Jamie XR6 · 08-10-2005, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merlin

And dont complain, you drive a car - try wearing the damn tag around your neck everyday on a bike! :lookedat:

True

Almost as maddening as the people fumbling around for change is the people fumbling around for their Etag. These are the ones that won't mount it but hold it up to the windcreen as they pass through narrow gates doing 60+, driving with only one hand whilst looking to make sure their Etag is in the right position