By removing tolls in 1984, Auckland:
- Lost a dedicated harbour-crossing revenue stream.
- Folded the bridge into general State Highway 1 funding.
- Made any second crossing dependent on national budgets and political cycles.
Sydney treated harbour infrastructure as a permanent premium asset.
Auckland North Shore treated it as a finished project.
The North Shore residents, because of their historic short-sightedness, are now certainly going to pay. The suggested $9 toll per crossing is more retribution than offering them an alternative free carriage way over or under the harbour.
Those Bridge Tolls Should Have Stayed
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