Northern Gateway - motorbikes to pay $2 like a car

**roy.nz** · 21st January 2009, 05:14

Jsut an update for any biker who is going to use the new tolled section of SH1 from sunday.
For us on bikes its FREE

yip thats right FREE. I saw it coming home the other night, one of the new signs was open. Cagers $2 and trucks $4, i was going to use the twisty long way round bit if we had to pay but no payment means the quick way from now.

Peace out

**Grizzo** · 21st January 2009, 06:15

Dirty rotten scoundrels, bikers shouldnt have to pay for anything

**Nasty** · 21st January 2009, 06:19

Originally Posted by roy.nz

Jsut an update for any biker who is going to use the new tolled section of SH1 from sunday.
For us on bikes its FREE

yip thats right FREE. I saw it coming home the other night, one of the new signs was open. Cagers $2 and trucks $4, i was going to use the twisty long way round bit if we had to pay but no payment means the quick way from now.

Peace out

Originally Posted by Grizzo

Dirty rotten scoundrels, bikers shouldnt have to pay for anything

And you choose not to read the post that was directly above the one you entered?

**McJim** · 21st January 2009, 06:36

Newspaper sales are down. Buy more Newspapers when the stories are ones you like. The Harold is your servant - if they only sell shitloads of papers when there's a nasty story then all they will print is nasty stories.

Buy a newspaper when you approve of the headline - this is the only way to get the newspapers to change their habit.

**Blossom** · 21st January 2009, 06:39

Originally Posted by McJim

Newspaper sales are down. Buy more Newspapers when the stories are ones you like.

I confess...

I dont buy newspapers at all. Waste of paper. Get all my news online and on here (now thats scary) Only problem now is that I only have the free community paper to start the fire in winter.

**klingon** · 21st January 2009, 15:53

Originally Posted by Blossom

I confess...

I dont buy newspapers at all. Waste of paper. Get all my news online and on here (now thats scary) Only problem now is that I only have the free community paper to start the fire in winter.

Same principle applies online though - the advertising revenue is based on the number of clicks. Click on the good stories and they have an incentive to print more good stories etc etc.

**90s** · 22nd January 2009, 12:28

Originally Posted by Blossom

I only have the free community paper to start the fire in winter.

Ah, bless the Western Leader ...

**MadDuck** · 23rd January 2009, 18:25

Rumour has it hand over is just after 1am Sunday morning. I will be asleep!

**nosebleed** · 24th January 2009, 08:09

Originally Posted by Tank

On the bright side:

We all know that police only patrol where they can catch speeders - so they are more likely to be patrolling on the new m/way extension than on the Waiwera hill - thus leaving it the perfect 'safe' route to ride home pissed after a few jugs at the Puhio tavern

P/T

Hmmm was thinking about this yesterday as i was driving North through Waiwera...

We all gotta remember that this stretch of road is 80k from Orewa to Puhoi. So its not gonna be too hard to be 30k (at 110) over the limit because it looks 'open road'.

Given that its cost effecient to place speed cameras on the new motorway it's actually likely that we'll see more patrols on the old road catching those that are enjoying the traffic free road.

**nico** · 24th January 2009, 08:20

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Walk outside. (if you can handle the banjo music)

you do realise im in wellingtion not 6 fingerd banjo playing south island rite?

**AllanB** · 24th January 2009, 08:29

Nice to see something is free nowadays - but I don't see why there is a expectation that motorcycles should be free on the Northern TOLL Road. I expect a minimum payment of a $1 as cars are $2, trucks $4.

Must be a Jaffa thing - wanting the rest of NZ to pay their way everywhere.

**Maha** · 24th January 2009, 08:34

Originally Posted by MadDuck

Rumour has it hand over is just after 1am Sunday morning. I will be asleep!

And did I hear correctly that, the first day is 'free' to all users?
Good move if that is so, wouldn't want a 10km back of vehicals on the first day (being a busy weekend an all) that wouldn't look good now would it?

**Jantar** · 24th January 2009, 08:41

Originally Posted by AllanB

Nice to see something is free nowadays - but I don't see why there is a expectation that motorcycles should be free on the Northern TOLL Road. I expect a minimum payment of a $1 as cars are $2, trucks $4.

Must be a Jaffa thing - wanting the rest of NZ to pay their way everywhere.

Not just a Jafa thing, its reality at work. 30 something years ago when the Lytleton tunnel was tolled I used to take great delight in parking my bike, stripping off all my gear to get at that 10 cent coin in my trousers pocket for the toll, then putting all my gear back on again, while heaps of other traffic would be waiting in line for their chance to go through the tunnel.

The next rider would be about 15 vehicles back and do excatly the same. Our aim then was to get the tunnel toll free for motorbikes. Instead it became toll free for everyone.

**discotex** · 24th January 2009, 08:48

Originally Posted by AllanB

Must be a Jaffa thing - wanting the rest of NZ to pay their way everywhere.

That's some funny shit

Auckland subsidises the rest of the country. You can hardly complain that we'd like some of OUR money back once in a while for some more motorways.

And why shouldn't bikes be free? Toll charging is effectively a congestion charge i.e. if you fill up the existing road you need more roads. Bikes have a tiny impact on road capacity so something like 25c would be a fair charge if you had to.

What I'd like to know is whether a campervan is considered a truck or a car.