Using toll roads
You need an active Toll account or Pass to use Sydney toll roads. Find out how toll roads work, plus what to do when driving a rental vehicle.
How do I use a toll road?
All toll roads in Sydney are cashless. Exits to toll roads have signs near them with 'TOLL' in the background.
Toll accounts and passes enable you to pay to use toll roads.
A toll account may include a tag or be tagless and allows for payment of a toll at time of travel.
A pass is a temporary payment arrangement – usually the best option if you don't often use toll roads. You can set up a temporary electronic pass before you use the toll road - or up to 72 hours afterwards.
What if I use a toll road without a toll account or pass?
If you have used a toll road without an active toll account or pass, an Unpaid Toll Reminder and a Toll Payment Demand will be sent to the registered operator of the vehicle. The Toll Payment Demand will request payment of the toll plus a video matching fee per trip
See Toll Payment Demand to find out more information.
Rental cars and toll roads
The rental vehicle agency will advise you of their process for the payment of tolls while using one of their vehicles.
Contact your rental vehicle provider to confirm their toll payment process.
Travel time signs
On toll roads, there are electronic signs that display estimated times to upcoming exits, intersections and interchanges.
These estimated times are based on real-time information technology, which monitors traffic flow. The signs are updated regularly (generally every 3 minutes) and are there to help you make the best decisions on your journey.
The electronic signs can also be used to display warnings and other messages when needed. They may also be blank during off-peak traffic periods or during maintenance.
How are travel times estimated?
The M7 uses magnetic in-road loops to detect how long vehicles are taking to travel along sections of the road. The average time to cover a distance is called 'current traffic flow'. The in-road loops are spaced about 500m apart, in both directions.
Other roads use data from Google Australia to display the estimated travel times. Google calculates the estimates using GPS data from smartphone users.
All the data used is anonymous – it can't be used to identify or track an individual road user or vehicle. It also can't be used to measure the speed of individual vehicles.