Tauranga's Eastern Link toll road nets bumper revenue in first year

The toll gantries on Tauranga's Eastern Link have netted 30 per cent more than the expected budget for 2016/17. Photo / File

One of Tauranga's toll roads has reaped more rewards than expected in its first year of operation.

The toll gantries on Tauranga's Eastern Link have netted 30 per cent more than the expected budget for 2016/17.

Figures released from the New Zealand Transport Agency show a total revenue budget of $3,473,000 from both light and heavy vehicles. The actual revenue collected was $4,569,000 for the year.

The money collected came from the 3,386,000 vehicles which used the highway that year - 2,938,000 of which were cars or other light vehicles. The figures exclude the 70c administration fee and GST.

The toll road came under the spotlight last week when the agency confirmed it might add tolling points at two new interchanges planned for the Tauranga Eastern Link. New tolling points were mooted for the Papamoa East Interchange, which will connect the planned new Golden Sands town centre in Te Tumu to the toll road, and one that will serve the future Rangiuru Business Park.

New Zealand Transport Agency principal transport planner Mark Haseley said people travelling via any proposed interchange on the highway should pay for their trip to ensure fairness and equity of all toll road users.

"Further work needs to be completed to confirm how this would be implemented in detail, without adversely affecting planned growth in the area.

"There is a free alternative route people can use when they don't want to travel on the TEL. There are also cost-effective options such as public transport, walking, cycling, carpooling or a mix of all of the above. We will be looking into ways to make these options more attractive."

Haseley said the agency was working with Tauranga City Council to consider potentially bringing the construction of the Papamoa East interchange forward, which would support growth in the Te Tumu area.

"We also need to confirm how the interchange would work with the Tauranga Eastern Link toll road," he said.

"The case for tolling the TEL was supported when consultation was undertaken in 2009. Some feedback during this consultation phase included a concern from the community that it would be inequitable not to charge people using the TEL at new interchanges [including Papamoa East]."

The highway's gantries use software that recognises number plates. The system uses cameras and sensors with optical character recognition technology to capture an image of a vehicle's registration plate and assign the correct toll price, based on the size of the vehicle.