MY OPINION: This is How it starts - then it gets reintroduced than it gets passed

The proposal to introduce a London-style congestion charge in Sydney was revealed in leaked cabinet documents obtained by Nine newspapers and was among several plans to reform how the state manages its road network.

Under the plan charges would be applied to drivers who enter a 20 sq km area around inner-city Sydney or would be imposed at certain times to reshape how and when people travel.

Nathan Hage at an electric vehicle charging station in the car park of the Zinc Building in Sydney’s Alexandria

A similar charge was introduced in London in 2003 where drivers paid roughly $25 to enter the city centre.

The leaked cabinet documents also contained plans to lower speed limits on inner-city streets to 30km/h and reconsider regional speeds, and to change the cost of public transport which has been subsidised.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Perrottet said “there was no plan for a congestion tax and we can rule it out completely”.

However, Marion Terrill from the Grattan Institute said the government should not be so quick to rule out the idea.

Terrill said the pandemic had pushed people away from public transport and the introduction of electric vehicles meant driving would become less expensive which could result in more car journeys – and more congestion.

“Sydney is already quite a car-dependent city,” Terrill said. “A congestion charge is a politically difficult reform but it does tackle head-on the problem of congestion that does have costs for people.

“It encourages people to take their trips at a quieter time of day, or get on the bike or walk if that makes sense for the particular trip they are doing.

“I would hope it doesn’t get ruled out immediately for lack of political courage it takes to come up with an idea like this and it is given serious consideration.”