Toll-dodging higher than expected

More than 710,00 vehicles have used the Northern Gateway since it opened in January. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Auckland's new Northern Gateway toll road is proving more popular than expected with motorists - including toll-dodgers.

The Transport Agency yesterday reported that 718,461 vehicles other than motorcycles and those used by emergency services - exempt from tolls - travelled over the 7.5km motorway extension between its opening day on January 25 and March 20.

That was 3.9 per cent higher than forecast by traffic modelling, which envisaged a 70-30 split between vehicles using the $356 million toll road and those remaining on the longer but free route along the coast between Orewa and Puhoi.

Separate agency figures show that 72.2 per cent of vehicles travelled between those points in the 14 days to Tuesday this week, although that figure included motorcycles.

But the Government agency also disclosed that only 92 per cent of liable motorists paid tolls of $2 for each car trip or $4 for trucks within a required three days of using the new road or after receiving a notice asking them to settle up within a further 28 days.

The figure was slightly below the agency's target compliance rate of 92.4 per cent.

Motorists failing to pay within three days face an "administration fee" of $2.20 in addition to any unpaid toll.

Those who ignore reminder notices for more than 28 days face an extra infringement fee of $40, and risk being taken to court if they allow another 28 days to pass without settling up.

"No decisions have been made with respect to the referral of unpaid tolls and administration fees to debt collection agencies," an agency spokesman said in a note to the Herald.

Papers issued to the newspaper by Transport Minister Steven Joyce under the Official Information Act show the Cabinet business committee accepted a recommendation from him on December 10 for an infringement fee of $60, as requested by the agency.

Mr Joyce told his colleagues that successful enforcement procedures were important to encourage voluntary compliance and there would be no physical barriers to stop drivers from using the road without paying up.

But on December 15 the Cabinet set a lower infringement fee of $40.

Mr Joyce's paper to the Cabinet committee reported a forecast from the Transport Agency of five million toll transactions a year, from which 25,000 to 50,000 "lower-value" infringements could be expected.

It noted that although Ministry of Justice officials advised that "in a general sense they are not concerned about these volumes", there might be "resource implications" for North Shore District Court, through which payment reminder notices had to be filed.

A ministry spokeswoman, asked by the Herald yesterday whether any extra provisions had been made to cope with the extra workload without compromising existing business, said: "At this stage there has been no impact from the enforcement of toll infringement notices on the workload of the North Shore court."