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Transurban Holding Trust
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7 September 2012Pricing, innovation the key to efficient city transport networks
Network road pricing is inevitable to manage increasing
congestion on city motorways and to facilitate more efficient
transport networks, says Transurban CEO Scott Charlton.
In a speech to the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia's
annual conference in
Melbourne today, Mr Charlton urged governments to use every
lever possible
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from user charges to diverse funding sources to innovative
solutions such as tolled express lanes.
"There is no perfect system. We need to be pragmatic and get
on with what we can do now in order to provide meaningful
progress against transport congestion," said Mr Charlton, who
joined Transurban in July 2012 but has been in the
infrastructure sector for more than 20 years.
"That could mean anything from cheaper night tolls for trucks
to high-tech freeway management systems to corridors shared
with public transport options to integrated transport network
pricing."
Mr Charlton said that public transport had to be included in
any network pricing scheme to ensure fairness and real
choices for the travelling public.
Network road pricing would also simplify user charges, making
them more consistent and transparent.
Mr Charlton pointed out that most utilities had peak and
off-peak pricing, which the public accepted, while road
pricing remained a sensitive issue.
However, to make the most efficient use of our motorways and
promote public transport, time-of-day pricing was worth
considering, he said.
Another option would be innovative use of motorways such as
in Transurban's 495 Express Lanes project in the
United States, where electronically tolled lanes have been
built alongside the existing freeway lanes.
"It's a great example of a pragmatic approach - and one that
could work well in an Australian context," he said.
Mr Charlton said public attitude appeared to be shifting
towards an acceptance that some tough decisions needed to be
made to fund infrastructure, manage demand and promote public
transport alternatives.
"Governments are making great progress in getting priorities
right and setting out visions for long-term transport plans.
But now is the time to get moving. We know the cost of
sitting on our hands - and it is way too high,'' Mr Charlton
said.
Wesley Ballantine +61 (0)3 8656 8904
General Manager, Investor Relations, Media and Government
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