What would you rather? Would you rather toll roads and shiny new roads, or would you rather waiting for NZTA to put you on the list of priorities and potholes up your ying yang?

New Zealand has just three toll roads right now throughout the country, and two of them are in Tauranga. There are also two more planned on Bay of Plenty roads – not surprisingly, residents are up in arms. Yes, there are workarounds for them under National Land Transport legislation. If you're going to bung a toll on a road, then a viable toll-free route must be provided, though these free detours typically add 10–20 minutes to your travel time. So you can pay and take 10–20 minutes off your journey, or don't pay and just be prepared to take a bit longer to get where you're going.

Residents affected by the latest toll that is yet to be imposed —but it's imminent at the Pāpāmoa East interchange— say $3.40 is far too much for people to pay, especially those who need to use the road to get to work, especially for those on fixed incomes. Retailers say the toll will reduce the number of drivers who choose to stop at Golden Sands in Pāpāmoa. They'll just drive straight through to avoid the toll, and the shopkeepers are going to suffer. However, while Bay of Plenty residents have tolls, they do have new roads.

And for many communities up and down the country, they would love the option of a tolled road. In an interview with Lloyd Burr, the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Cowley said every time we get a new road, we have to pay through tolls. Now we don't disagree with them because without the tolls we'd be way down the national priority list. But he says every new state highway in New Zealand should be paying through tolls for the road and they're not. And he's right. There's a list of roads, brand new roads, where you don't have to pay tolls to travel on them. He says it should be one rule for all. He said I don't know why other regions are so anti-tolling. This Government really needs to make a stand. You want a new road, users will have to pay. It was a travesty, he says, that Transmission Gully was not tolled. In principle, every new road should be tolled. That's how it happens overseas without too much fuss. Is he right? What do you think?

There are many regions that are desperately waiting for a new road, would love to see a new road, but they are so far down the list of priorities that you know it'll probably be in your grandchildren's day that the roads will be delivered. If NZTA wants to consider a new road for tolling, there has to be public consultation, the road must have a meaningful cost contribution to the road cost, deliver value for money with the infrastructure cost no more than 20% of the anticipated revenue, not result in changes to traffic volume on other roads.

So when you look at the different roads around the country that have been funded but have not been tolled, you'd have to say Bay of Plenty's probably had more than its fair share, but at the same time if you look at all the different communities and regions that are desperate for a road or a bridge and haven't got one and don't look like getting one anytime soon, would you be happy to pay a toll to get it?

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