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View Full Version : NSW Cashless tollways neglect bike riders



Bob
24th September 2004, 00:18
The chairman of the Motorcycle Council of NSW has expressed his outrage at the Road Traffic Authority's (RTA) "neglect" of motorcycle riders in its planned cashless tollways, saying the RTA has "not considered motorcycle riders in their plans".

Guy Stanford said the council has "several issues" with the RTA, the most recent arising over e-tags. “The cross city tunnel is about to go e-tag only and no other technology is being offered to bike riders".

According to Stanford standard e-tag devices are unsuitable for motorcycle riders "Some riders use the e-tag for a car, but it is dangerous to use and unreliable unless waved around by hand while riding through the gate," he said. "Doing this in peak hour traffic is just plain dangerous."

According to Stanford "despite strenuous efforts by the RTA, its contractors and co-operation with the Motorcycle Council of NSW, no suitable e-tag is even on the horizon".

Communications Director of the RTA, Paul Willoughby, asserted that e-tags are not becoming compulsory, as he said car and motorcycle drivers who do not display an e-tag when driving through an automatic tollgate will be photographed and charges will be made to their e-tag account or a fine sent to the vehicles owner's home address.