[LINK] RE: Sydney Toll-Roads Require Tags - Are They Identified?

Fri Apr 2 12:18:21 EST 2004

APF has raised this with both Federal and NSW Privacy Commissioners
repeatedly at meetings over 3 years, but neither seems to have taken it on.
APF also wrote to the State Opposition in Feb 03 - see papers at
www.privacy.org.au  Jurisdiction is confused, with private operators acting
under state law and contracts.  I flushed the following out of the RTA in
November 03 but haven't had a chance to follow it up.  Feel free to use.

***********************************
Nigel Waters, Board Member
Australian Privacy Foundation
http://www.privacy.org.au
Tel: (02) 4981 0828 or Mobile: 0407 230 342
Fax: (02) 4981 0995
nigelwaters at iprimus.com.au
***********************************

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
APF: Further to the Privacy NSW Roundtable meeting this week, please obtain
for us written confirmation of the following:

APF: A per-trip cash payment option will not be available on the cross city
tunnel and Western Sydney Orbital  ?

RTA: No toll booths will be installed on these roads but the operators of
CCT and Westlink M7 (WSO) have informed RTA and Privacy NSW that anonymous
cash payment methods will be available.

APF: It will be possible to purchase electronic passes for cash/cheque
payment,i.e.: not just accounts or credit cards, but this will not represent
an anonymous option since purchasers will have to specify one (or
more?)vehicle registration numbers for which the pass will be valid.

RTA: Casual user passes will be available for cash, to function the
Registration No needs to be recorded so that the (tagless) trip can be
reconciled against that particular pass.

APF: The system will presumably take an image of every vehicle using the
roads and compare the rego with those for which a valid and current pass has
been issued?

RTA: The system will take an image of every vehicle except where a valid tag
read was recorded.  Those images are then compared against the casual user
lists.

APF: There is no current proposal to remove the cash payment option from any
other toll roads/bridges/tunnels.

RTA: All existing tollways presently have cash booths.  The RTA has no plans
to remove cash options from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The RTA is not aware
of any plan by the private motorway operators for imminent removal of cash
options on their roads.

APF: For how long will images be retained after comparison (where there is a
satisfactory match)?

RTA: Reconciliation records are required to be kept for 7 years.

APF: What will be the enforcement regime for regos for which there is no
valid and current pass?  Which agencies will be involved?

RTA: Where there is no valid match, the operator has the choice to pursue
enforcement for non toll payment.  The first step is to send a courtesy
letter to the registered owner requesting payment of the toll plus an
administration fee.  If no action the operator can elect for a second
(reminder) letter to be sent this requests payment of an
(higher)administration fee plus the toll.  If no action an infringement is
issued and the matter becomes a police action. RTA is involved in issuing
the Letters, the Police and SDRO follow up the infringement action.

APF: Will this be a purely administrative/contractual matter or is there
relevant legislation?

RTA: Enforcement is covered under the Roads Act.

APF: Which legal entities will be responsible for the operation of the toll
system?

RTA: CrossCity Motorway Pty Ltd and Westlink M7 are the project owners.

APF: If they are private sector and subject to the National Privacy
Principles how do they see themselves complying with NPP 8 (Anonymity)?

RTA: No reply

*************************
Nigel Waters
02 4981 0828 and 0407 230342
nigelwaters at iprimus.com.au
*************************

-----Original Message-----
From: privacy-bounces at lists.efa.org.au
[mailto:privacy-bounces at lists.efa.org.au]On Behalf Of Roger Clarke
Sent: Friday, 2 April 2004 10:09
To: privacy at lists.efa.org.au; link at anu.edu.au
Subject: Sydney Toll-Roads Require Tags - Are They Identified?

[What's the situation with anonymous use of Sydney toll-roads?

[We established some time ago that Melbourne does not provide an
effective anonymous alternative for its Tullamarine and southern-edge
toll-roads, which is an appalling diminution of the right to travel
without being tracked.

[If Sydney is in the same position, it's even *more* serious, because
the post-socialist Carr government has converted almost all of the
trunk-roads to toll-roads]

Bridge the last cash crossing for tagless hold-outs
The Sydney Morning Herald
Date: April 2 2004
By Alexandra Smith
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2004/04/01/1080544629478.html

Sydney is heading towards a cashless tollway system - but the Harbour
Bridge may keep a coin option for people who do not have an
electronic tag.

The Minister for Roads, Carl Scully, said yesterday that the harbour
tunnel would be the first cashless toll road, but a decision on when
the tag-only option would be introduced had not been made.

A Roads and Traffic Authority spokesman said there were no plans to
remove cash tolling from the Harbour Bridge "while there is public
demand for it".

Other motorways, including the cross-city tunnel, the Lane Cove
tunnel and the M7, would be cashless, the spokesman said.

  However, tagless drivers on these roads and in the harbour tunnel
would still have to pay, probably through options similar to those
used by one-off or infrequent users on Melbourne's CityLink.

The Melbourne road has short-term toll passes that are available over
the internet or by phone. Payment can be made before or after using
the road.

The spokesman said no final decisions had been made on how to cater
for one-off tunnel users, but drivers without e-tags would not be
automatically fined.

"If a motorist inadvertently drives through a toll booth . . . they
are sent a letter asking them to pay the toll and a $5 administration
fee," the spokesman said.

This system would continue.

Mr Scully said the introduction of the cashless tunnel would further
ease congestion on Sydney's roads. The city already has 500,000 e-tag
users.

"Motorists using these tags are helping relieve congestion, as about
1500 vehicles an hour can move through an e-toll booth, compared with
700 in an automatic cash booth," Mr Scully said.

  Already during the morning peak about 60 per cent of those using the
harbour tunnel were using tags, he said.

Mr Scully said he expected changes to the toll booths on the Harbour
Bridge and in the tunnel would continue as the number of e-tag users
increased.

As a colleague wrote to me this morning:
>Meanwhile, here in Sydney I hear there is a push to make the harbour tunnel
>a "cash free zone". Only vehicles fitted with one of those etag things will
>be able to use it. Those without an etag will have to use the bridge.
>
>Give it a few years, and they'll then claim the success of the tunnel
>justifies doing the same on the M4,M2, cross city tunnel, eastern
>distributor, etc etc ... and eventually even the bridge again.
>
>No more cash = no more anonymity?

--
Roger Clarke              http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                 Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au            http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program, University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Baker Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre, U.N.S.W
Visiting Fellow in Computer Science, Australian National University
_______________________________________________
To unsubscribe from the privacy  list visit:
http://lists.efa.org.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/privacy#unsubscribe