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Think of toll roads and most New Zealanders remember tossing coins in a bucket before crossing the Auckland Harbour Bridge or driving through the Lyttelton tunnel. Some, it seems, still hanker for that antiquated system for the Northern Gateway toll road between Orewa and Puhoi, which opens this weekend. Much of the discussion on this welcome development has been not about the reduction in travelling time and other benefits, especially for Northland and the Rodney district, but the electronic-based collection of the $2 toll. A Luddite strain has surfaced. Yet, if anything, the Transport Agency may have tried too hard to make the system all things to all men.
Globally, the undeniable trend in toll collection is towards all-electronic systems. Toll booths or their proxies are being phased out. The advantages of this are numerous: no more interruptions to traffic flows or pollution caused by waiting cars, no need to devote large areas to toll booths, and lower collection costs.
Melbourne's CityLink, one of the first cashless systems, allows motorists to pay by transponder or, for those planning only occasional use, to register for a special account to pay each time they use the road. It has been a great success.
The Northern Gateway will, in contrast, offer a seeming myriad of payment options. Regular users can set up an account through a website or a freephone number. One-off payments, for up to 10 trips a month, can be made the same way. Those who do not have pre-payment accounts - largely casual users, perhaps - will have to deposit their tolls at kiosks at either end of the road, or have three days to pay through a freephone number or at the kiosks. A
$40 fine will apply to those whose number-plates have been captured by cameras installed on overhead gantries near Orewa and who have not paid 28 days after a bill is sent.
There is no question about the accuracy and efficiency of the technology. It has been proved worldwide for a decade. But the Transport Agency has sought to cover all the bases.
Those who still prefer to pay in cash are catered for, as are those who are comfortable with electronic payment. To a degree, this may be understandable. Some potential cash customers might be deterred from using the road if this option was not available. For that very reason, some American toll-road companies have been reluctant to abandon booths.
There is, however, a downside to this all-embracing approach. One is the number of people who must be employed on the Northern Gateway. Wages will have to be paid to those who take the cash payments, as well as those involved in electronic recognition, billing, and the issuing of infringement notices. The drive to keep costs down has meant that the Gateway call centre will be open only from 8am to 6pm on weekdays. This, in turn, has attracted comment from people who would prefer a 24-hour service.
That criticism is largely unfair. The operators have, in the main, striven to be customer-friendly. Nonetheless, they must be aware that motorists still have the option of using the free coastal route. The predicted saving of six to nine minutes is not crucial to many people. Therefore, they cannot afford too many teething troubles, such as the internet security flaws that forced a closedown of website toll payment facilities this month.
That aside, it is surely simply a matter of time before developments such as the Northern Gateway feature all-electronic systems. Those who resist the trend overlook the fundamental purpose of such roads. They are about high-quality, non-stop motoring. They are not for life in the slow lane. In the long run, cash payments have no part to play.
