Vic: No tolls for Geelong Ring Road, says Bracks

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Vic: No tolls for Geelong Ring Road, says Bracks

By Ben Packham, State Political Correspondent

MELBOURNE, April 15 AAP - Victorian Premier Steve Bracks today ruled out tolls on theplanned Geelong Ring Road.

But Opposition Leader Robert Doyle said the Bracks government could no longer be trustedto meet any of its commitments after reneging on its no-tolls promise.

Mr Bracks yesterday said the $1.8 billion Mitcham-Frankston Freeway, in Melbourne'seast, would be built as a tollway to keep the state budget in surplus.

But he said the $380 million Geelong Ring Road would not be tolled, as it was a muchsmaller project.

"It's not of the scale, it's not of the volume, it's not of the type that could everbe considered for a toll road in the future," Mr Bracks told reporters today.

He said tolls would only be considered for road projects in the future when they placedsimilar pressures on the budget.

But Mr Doyle said Mr Bracks could not be trusted after the policy backflip.

"How do we know about the Geelong Western Ring Road, if that will be tolled? Or won'tit be tolled?" he said.

"You now cannot believe a single word that Steve Bracks or the Labor Party say."

AAP bp/dk/gl/de

KEYWORD: TRANSPORT GEELONG