Assessing the traffic and economic impacts of the West Gate Bridge toll removal.

The setting of tolls on a facility to achieve optimum utilization and return on investment, particularly where alternative routes are available, is somewhat risky. The toll on the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne was removed by the State Government in November 1985. This caused significant changes to the distribution of traffic on the Yarra River crossings, including a 45 per cent increase in traffic using the West Gate Bridge. This paper analyses the impact of the toll removal.