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Linfox to contest CityLink toll amid new truck ban

Linfox founder Lindsay Fox is reportedly planning legal action against road operator Transurban over CityLink’s recent toll fee increases.
Fox told the Herald Sun that he is currently exploring his legal options against the road operator, describing the new fees as “extortion”.
“Let the judge decide. It’s very much like extortion. You’re paying for something you’re not getting,” he told the newspaper. “I think it’s a disgrace. If the government allows it to happen, it will completely throw the whole system out of control. Where in the world do you pay the fee for going on a freeway system that won’t be built for another 12 months?
“The freeways are inadequate…they’re taking for granted that people in the trucking business are stupid. The roads were designed for traffic. Streets are no different to the veins that run in your body. When the blood stops, you die.”
Linfox has already sought alternative routes since the announcement, with the company’s truck drivers now using suburban streets as a viable way to move around Melbourne.
On 1 April, Transurban’s increased tolls on heavy vehicles will see CityLink fees raised from about $12 to more than $26.
According to the Victorian State Government, the charge is to help recover costs for its share of the CityLink-Tulla widening project, which will not be completed until next year.
In another hurdle for Linfox and other transport operators, the Victorian Government announced over the weekend that a 24/7 truck ban from roads in Melbourne’s inner west will commence from 2022. The truck ban will encompass Francis Street, Somerville Road, Buckley Street and Moore Street.
The truck ban will cater to the construction of the new multi-billion-dollar, four-kilometre West Gate Tunnel to improve traffic flow in Melbourne’s west, which will slash travel times from the western suburbs, Geelong and Ballarat.
Victorian Transport Association CEO Peter Anderson said the bans and new toll would put more pressure on an industry “already under financial attack.”
“While we absolutely understand the need to strike a balance between amenity for residents and economic fairness for operators, a permanent ban is not the right way to go about it and sends a message to operators that their contribution to society isn’t valued or appreciated,” he said.
Anderson, who has also been critical of the new Toll fee hikes, suggested that alternative methods of reducing truck movements, such as travel restrictions, had been ignored by the Government. “Trucks are also workplaces for normal family people who suffer the same frustrations as others with the vagaries of chaos, confusion and congestions on the roads. We need to harmonise the creation on of new roads, the use of existing roads, integrate rail systems and ports and convince the community that transport is vital to our economy and way of life. Imposing a ban sends an entirely wrong message.”

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