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'He's a buffoon': Sneaky toll road trick sparks dismay

A levy-evading “buffoon” has been caught on camera using a deceitful manoeuvre to avoid his licence plate being registered by a toll camera.

The audacious motorcyclist was captured using a piece a black card to cover his licence plate as he approached the entrance to Sydney’s M4 Western Motorway, Nine News reported.

A passenger in a car driving behind him reportedly spotted the same rider a week prior executing the same trick, so when they spotted him again, they began filming on their phone.

Motorbike rider covering rego plate with black card at Sydney's M4 toll entrance.
The motorcyclist shown placing a black card across his registration plate. Source: Nine News

The act left road safety advocates less than impressed, particularly given the man could have legally avoided paying the toll had he taken Parramatta Road instead.

“The guy’s a buffoon and he just needs to realise that ultimately there’s cameras right along that motorway, so there’s every likelihood we might be able to catch up with him,” Transport Minister Andrew Constance told Nine News.

The motorist will face a fine of at least $188 for purposely avoiding the toll charge.

Motorbike rider shown before covering his licence plate with card to avoid paying Sydney's M4 toll charge.
The man shown riding towards the toll entrance gate on Sydney's M4. Source: Nine News

Tolls on the M4 motorway range from $1.77 to $4.56 for cars and motorbikes, which is dependent on the distance of the road used.

On Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Tunnel toll roads, 1.1 million tolls went unpaid in the last financial year, with more than 750,000 of those by repeat offenders, according to Nine.

“If you’re going to use them, you’ve got to pay the toll,” Peter Khoury from NRMA said.

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