North Shore residents, who would use the crossing most, were the most divided over a toll.
While 14.1 per cent were willing to pay a higher toll of $3 or more, 21.8 per cent said they would refuse to pay a cent.
Small-business owner Brayden Jack said he would be prepared to pay only a couple of dollars to cross the harbour. Any more than that and it would be too expensive for him to operate his fleet of vehicles.
His cabling and security company has about 10 cars on the road, half of which cross the harbour every day. At $6 a crossing, the tolls would cost his business up to $1000 every week, which would be passed on to customers.
He said any toll should be for only a fixed number of years.
When asked if a $2 toll would be enough to cover the cost of a second crossing, Transport Minister Steven Joyce said: "I would doubt it but I think everyone understands that the funding would have to come from a number of sources, quite likely taxpayers, ratepayers and some form of tolls."
Auckland Council transport chairman Mike Lee said the discussion was a distraction from more urgent transport matters.
Commuter dreads 'unbearable' toll
Design engineer Antony Wraight commutes to the city from the North Shore and would rather not pay to cross the Harbour Bridge.
"I pay a lot of tax in income tax for roading. Unless it was imposed on me, I wouldn't be prepared to pay anything," said the 35-year-old.
He uses the bridge twice every weekday to get from his home in Hillcrest to his office in Eden Terrace.
In July this year, a report said a toll of $6-$8 would have to be imposed on the existing bridge and the new crossing to pay for the new road. "That's $60 to $80 a week. That's a couple of meals at a restaurant. That's just going to make it unbearable."
He said a toll would deter people from using the bridge.
