When Tauranga City Council puts up the Route K tolls on July 1 it will trigger a boycott from hundreds of light truck owners and drivers who have had their toll increased by more than 300 per cent.
Mr Chips truck drivers Sean Spalding promising a boycott of new tolls.
While tolls for cars will increase from $1.50 to $2, and heavy motor vehicles increase from $4 to $5, twin axle truck tolls will rise from $1.50 to $5.
The Route K 2014 bylaw, to be discussed in council on Monday, amends the description and categorisation of vehicles, shifting twin axle light trucks from paying the same toll as cars to that of heavy motor vehicles.
'I pay $36 a month in tolls at present and its going up to $120 a month for the same thing, and I certainly won't be paying it,” says Mr Chips driver Sean Spalding.
He's an owner-driver transporting chips and frozen food in a twin axle 10-tonne truck. There are 200-300 similar sized trucks using Route K each day, and they won't be from July 1, says Sean.
'We will be boycotting the road,” says Sean.
As it is he has to drive down to Elizabeth Street from Birch Avenue to get onto Route K. From July 1 Sean will be switching from Route K to Cameron Road. It's an extra half a kilometre and five minutes driving from his typical Elizabeth Street to Birch Ave, Route K route.
'Or I could go by Cambridge Road, they are about the same,” says Sean.
'It's certainly unfair. They are trying to increase the money, but it's going to have the opposite effect. They will lose 200, 300 trucks a day.”
The Route K Bylaw 2014 was adopted by council on April 30, and has been publicly advertised. The Bylaw takes effect on 1 July, 2014 and replaces the Route K Bylaw 2011.
There was a public submissions period from March 10 - April 8. There were 12 submissions, which were considered at a council meeting on April 30.
Traffic will be monitored on Cameron Road and Cambridge Road and Route K for one month prior to the toll increase and for 12 months after the change.
The monitoring will be used to determine the effect of toll changes on traffic volumes across the wider network.
22 comments
Here's hoping
Posted on 14-06-2014 09:06 | By What?
it's not just small truckers taking alternate routes. Then, just maybe, the council will wake up to the idea that increasing the toll is not the way to get people using the road.
toll road
Posted on 14-06-2014 09:16 | By rosscoo
Silly idea putting up tolls. putting more pressure on Cameron road, If truckies forced to pay higher costs then costs of product goes up so the consumer has to find more money in pocket to buy groceries. Maybe a smaller increase would be more advisable as the council only going to make cost of living to high for low income workers. and end up with bigger traffic congestion's in peek traffic times. why create problem why not consider others? another Crosby screw up.
Extra 5 minutes.
Posted on 14-06-2014 09:26 | By Robert
You have to be deluded or you haven't been up or down Cameron Rd. in a while. Greerton roundabout to Barkes cnr can often take more than that these days. Mega ten to 15th ave is also in the jammed up category morning and afternoon. and don't bother with Fraser St in the morning or evening either nor Turret Rd. You need to get out more.
Backwards Progress...
Posted on 14-06-2014 10:54 | By OnSolidG
The planning for route K has been flawed from the start. The whole reason they're raising the fee is they want more revenue, but they're loosing revenue from approx 8th ave to the hospital and more, because the ONLY way to get out rout K is to get on at Elizabeth St, and who wants to back track, just to face the mess at Elizabeth St roundabout? If there was an on ramp at 11th Ave/Waihi Rd and 15th ave for route K, the user count and therefore revenue would be a lot better. Instead Fees go up, users go down, route K goes broke!
Weight limits.
Posted on 14-06-2014 11:54 | By petebennett@xtra.co.nz
There is a big differance in twin axled trucks, are they going to have a weight restriction, if so how will they tell. Will they call a Ute a twin axled truck. Possibly if we all stopped using the road, and started a protest to Government, or perhaps the Council should just close the road, and get some action from the powers that be.Voting time is coming,Simon Bribges might like a phone call right now.
An Engineeer Who Knew Nothing About Traffic Flow.
Posted on 14-06-2014 12:46 | By tabatha
When route K was planned protests were made about lack of access from 11th and 15th Avenue. Access from 15th Ave could be fairly easily fixed at a minimal cost, 11th Ave room to do but engineering etc. would be high. A reduction of fees could bring higher usage and therefore higher revenue. The road is an asset flawed by planning and payment. Reduce the pay plaza, yes people loose jobs but cost per year reduced. It is time the backroom boys got out of their little sheltered offices and talked to users.
goes
Posted on 14-06-2014 12:58 | By Capt_Kaveman
to show what your new Councillors are like as they have no idea how to get this ghost road working
No surprises here
Posted on 14-06-2014 13:07 | By The Tomahawk Kid
I boycotted it personally - even before they put the toll up to $1.50. Completely unimaginitive, brain-dead solution to this problem. Council deserve to be slammed on this. It is a shame they cannot be held accountable. There are many ways this road could be made more attractive to use, but they do not collectively have the initiative. WHY? Because there is no incentive. . . . and the obvious solution to them is to put up the price. Pathetic. But I expect no less, so no surprises here.
Truckies Dilemma
Posted on 14-06-2014 13:50 | By Watchdog
Why not make the toll $3.00 not $1.50 per axle. This lowers the overall take. I do not want to see trucks thundering down Cambridge Road, or Cameron Road when they are heading to the Mount. This road was designed to take the pressure off those other two roads. Perhaps a bylaw enforcing travel onto Route K would help. Then if the volume comes up hugely, Council could reduce the per axle rate a bit to assist this compliance. As a car user I do Not begrudge my $1.50 at present and will not be concerned about it being $2.00, either when it goes up. I think additional on and off ramps as previously mentioned would also help. Some people get to use part of Route K for free, depending on where they travel to on it (eg Bethlehem to the Mount). Could any portion of this be tolled?
road tolls.
Posted on 14-06-2014 19:52 | By peter pan
Plenty grizzles but nobody has come up with an answer. The road has to be payed for somehow.So mistakes have been made but you cant turn the clock back .
Theodorus
Posted on 14-06-2014 22:16 | By Theodorus
Route K was meant to be a state highway to the port of Tauranga and is. So why does the government not pay for it and pay off our council debt. What is our local M.P.Simon Bridges doing about it? Do we need Winston Peters to fix it for us like he did getting rid of having to pay tolls to use the harbour bridge between Tauranga and the Mount?
It goes a long way back
Posted on 14-06-2014 23:27 | By Bronzewing
Crosbie is only part of the mismanagement. The engineer who chose the geometry of the intersections is now a consultant. It was pushed through under Noel Pope's watch even though the models said the road would not be needed for another 20 plus years. Maybe the roadname should be changed to Pope's Folly. Council is trying to boost the revenue to make it easier to flick to Transit. It is another case of the lunatics running the asylum
@Steve Morris
Posted on 15-06-2014 10:02 | By Peter
According to Cr Steve Morris it is not the council's fault that the tolls are being raised unfairly as it was the voters that elected this council. Therefore it is the voting public who have themselves to blame. SHAME ON US. Even though '"I am to blame here" I will still be boycotting the expressway in my truck.
@ Steve Morris
Posted on 16-06-2014 10:18 | By YOGI BEAR
In your defense sir, you were not part of the elected members who made the fatal decision to borrow $43m and build Route K, they have all walked away without consequence. The TCC staff and consultants who spent the borrowed money are still at TCC and paid a lot more now than they ever were. Steve and other Councilors have much still to decide on and one of those things is how to make the toll road viable as it adds only $2m a year (in a good year) to TCC debt. Those who are at fault here are no longer there to oppose anything, to late to anyway already the harm has been done.
@ Bronzewing
Posted on 16-06-2014 12:33 | By YOGI BEAR
I agree completely, lunatics in the asylum about says it all. Sadly though you also need to be aware that the same achievement level continues and peculates through the entire organization, this is just one example that stands out head and shoulders above most of the rest.
SKYS THE LIMIT OMG
Posted on 16-06-2014 20:00 | By ROCCO
As at June 2013 Route k debt was $6om plus as per audited accounts and sure as god made little green apples that ain't got any better since. This toll charade is simply to appease NZTA wallahs and the poisoned chalice we are about to get from them.
@ ROCCO
Posted on 18-06-2014 11:14 | By YOGI BEAR
$60m? That is a bit low isn't it, that must have been a year or two ago? The debt now is some $64m and rising every year by $2-3m, interest costs rising will rapidly increase this also. I am sure there is more debt sitting around to.
Spare TCC debt?
Posted on 18-06-2014 13:09 | By YOGI BEAR
There is more Route K in TCC, bet ya that is not part of the Route K deal with NZTA, the debt for that will be buried and ignored somewhere else but in the end ratepayers will have to pay the debt, all of it where ever it resides.
Addled Brains
Posted on 19-06-2014 12:35 | By Dino
Everyone is forgetting here about the noraml vehicles that use this road instead of the very congested Cameron Road. We also either have to accept the new charges or drive a different way. don't the council realise the more they uyt up the charges the less revenue as people will not use the road. Reduce charges+more use = more money DOH!!!!
Dino
Posted on 19-06-2014 17:04 | By YOGI BEAR
Correct, but they don't understand all of that, way to complicated for an ideal world. Of course regardless of what happens they can just add it to rates and yippy all problems are solved.
Chevyman
Posted on 30-06-2014 10:48 | By Chevyman
No one has mentioned the fact that they have also reduced the speed limit on Cambridge road to 60kms/hr in a bid to discourage use of this road and force drivers onto route K. Come on council, listen to the masses and fix the entry and exit options to route K !!!!!! It will cost more but It would make the road a whole lot more user friendly. I for one will be part of the boycott.
True Chevyman
Posted on 13-07-2014 11:11 | By YOGI BEAR
Agree, they want to limit the other roads, "make" them congested then collect the toll from the "vacant" road, Route K. I am sure NZTA will match the toll to either the TEL or perhaps the North Motorway.
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