Residents in Beverly Hills, Bexley, Bexley North and Kingsgrove will pay $8.81 million in additional tolls due to the Berejiklian Government's new $6.95 toll on the M5 East, according to research released by Kogarah MP, Chris Minns.
This shows residents in the north of the electorate will be hit particularly hard by the new toll with around 52 per cent choosing to drive to work each day according to 2016 Census Data, he said.
The Census data also shows 28 per cent of residents in these suburbs drive to the CBD.
This means at least 2,640 residents who live in these four suburbs drive to work in the CBD every day. The new toll on the M5 East will cost each of these residents $3,300 a year if they drive five days a week.
The amount of additional tolls paid by the suburbs of Beverley Hills, Bexley, Bexley North and Kingsgrove in one year is $8.81 million.
The research shows the amount of Kingsgrove residents who drive is 52 per ccent and the number who drive to the CBD is 408, meaning the 2020-21 cost of additional tolls paid by them will be $1.36 million.
In Bexley, 52.7 per cent of residents drive to work, 1,279 drive to the CBD, meaning in 2020-21 they will pay $4.27 million in additional tolls.
In Bexley North, 51.8 per cent of residents drive to work, 270 drive to the CBD, and in 2020-21 they will be paying $901,000 in additional tolls.
In Beverly Hills, 52.7 per cent of residents drive to work, 683 drive to the CBD and in 2020-21 they will be paying an additional $2.28 million in tolls.
The M5 East, which was fully paid for when it opened in 2001, has never been tolled," Mr Minns said.
"This is nothing more than a big new toll on the same old road. Nearly $9 million is going to be ripped from workers in these four suburbs alone in just one year," he said.
"The public has already paid for this road. Families and workers are struggling through a pandemic and a recession, and this Government decides now is the time to make people in the St George pay 15 times over for a road that's already been paid for."
"This is an unfair, unnecessary and expensive hit on workers living in Beverly Hills, Kingsgrove, Bexley and Bexley North," Mr Minns said.
