KEY POINTS:
Motorists using Auckland's new "Northern Gateway" toll road will be able to pull over to pay cash, but will still have their number-plates recorded by overhead cameras.
Transit NZ northern manager Peter Spies says an electronic collection system for a toll of $2 for cars and $4 for trucks will operate from gantries at the southern end of the 7.5km motorway extension which is due to open between Orewa and Puhoi in about nine months.
About one-third of the standard toll is likely to be deducted for transaction costs, before the remainder is used to repay a $180 million construction loan over 35 years.
"The proposal is for electronic toll collection - it won't be an old-fashioned throwing coins in a bucket system," Mr Spies told the Auckland Regional Land Transport Committee.
There would be a range of payment methods available, such as through debits from prearranged accounts monitored by sophisticated number-plate recognition technology linked to the national vehicle registration data base in Palmerston North.
But Mr Spies told the committee that Transit was also investigating the provision of kiosks on either side of the Northern Motorway, to allow drivers preferring to make cash payments to pull over without interrupting traffic flows.
Although details have yet to be confirmed, it is understood such kiosks are most likely to be installed on approaches to the toll road, such as at the existing motorway services area housing a BP service station and other retail outlets south of the Silverdale interchange.
Transit has yet to disclose how much of each toll will be gobbled up in administration costs, before the balance is devoted to repaying a Government loan for half the $360 million price of the new road. The rest of the bill is being met from the Government's land transport account.
Officials are understood to be preparing for an administration share of about 65c.
That is twice an estimate of 32c provided by Transit during its public consultations in 2004 on whether it should use tolls to help to pay for a project not considered of high enough priority to be fully funded from the Government account.
Transit alarmed cabinet ministers late that year by estimating the actual average transaction cost for each vehicle would amount to about $1.35 for as long as the motorway extension remained the only toll road operating through a new "back-office" accounting and billing system.
That was expected to drop to 35c by 2018 if other toll roads were operating by then through the same system, but Transit won approval for a Government operating subsidy of up to $84.6 million to meet any intervening shortfall.
A proposal to charge tolls on Tauranga's new duplicate harbour bridge has since been abandoned, in a political accommodation between Labour and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
Mr Spies acknowledged to the transport committee that the Northern Gateway's "world-best" number-plate recognition technology could also be used for Transit's $1.89 billion Waterview tunnels project in Auckland, but emphasised that tolls could not be introduced there without community consultation.
He said Transit was preparing an information campaign for the gateway project to ensure motorists were aware that tolls were on their way, that they would know how to use the new system and would be aware of the availability of the Hibiscus Coast Highway as an alternative free route.
