How much time do tolls actually save you, and are there better, cheaper and less stressful options?

With peak hour madness in our capital cities, road rage, stress and anxiety mean the daily commute is fast becoming unbearable.

Toll road operators would have us believe their roads are the faster, easier alternative to arterials.

So, to toll or not to toll? Our exclusive tests compare tollways with arterial roads to find the cheapest, fastest and most stress-free journey into the CBDs of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Sydney struggles with a transport system crippling in decay and decades out of date.

Afternoon radio host Chris Smith says the Barry O’Farrell government needs to invest in more public transport schemes to get cars off these clogged up car-parks masquerading as motorways and says “what we should be doing is using templates like the Tube – London’s underground – where we need not only tunnels for trains but tunnels for buses across suburban and cross city networks.”

According to the RACQ's Michael Roth congestion is growing faster in Brisbane than anywhere in the country.

“The Clem 7 and Go Between Bridge have only had a minor impact on reducing congestion on the Storey Bridge and William Jolley Bridge. They would’ve had a much bigger impact had they been free roads,” he said.

Ian Owide from Bingle Car Insurance says a recent study shows half of us are making cuts to maintain car running costs.

“We love our cars. In fact 92 per cent of us have said we can't live without a car, it's a necessity.”

But according to transport expert Paul Mees, tollways are something we can live without.

“There has been a kind of resentment about private toll roads in the community, generally because people don’t like paying for something that they used to get paid for out of their taxes.”

If you're not choosey about tolls you can short-change yourself, and that can equate to hundreds of dollars every year.

As for the quickest way to get to work, remember this: toll road or free road, unfortunately it seems there's no black and white when it comes to avoiding peak hour chaos.

• Speed camera audit
• New road tax considered
• Fine frenzy