Mersey Tunnels tolls to rise

Feb 1 2008

TUNNEL bosses are planning to raise the toll for cars to £1.40.

A series of proposed price hikes will see some drivers paying a massive £1.50 extra per journey.

Councillors are being asked to back proposals to up charges on all four vehicle classes eligible to use the Kingsway and Queensway tunnels between Liverpool and Wirral.

Operator Merseytravel believes the move would raise an extra £3.6m a year and stop people seeing the tunnels as a “cheaper alternative” to public transport.

Drivers using the fast tag recognition system would still receive discounts.

Merseytravel today insisted its legal powers would allow it to raise tolls even higher, but it had opted for the proposed smaller increase.

But tunnels’ users branded the move “a scandal”.

The changes, which will be debated by councillors on Monday at a Passenger Transport Authority meeting, are:

Class 1, including cars and motorbikes with sidecar, rising from £1.30-a-journey to £1.40.

Class 2, covering small goods vehicles and small coaches, jumping from £1.30 to £2.80.

Class 3, applying to goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and passenger vehicles, increasing from £3.90 to £4.20.

Class 4, covering heavy goods vehicles, rising from £5.20 to £5.60.

A Merseytravel report insists an increase from April 6 is needed to manage demand for the tunnels and tackle rising road congestion.

It says: “One of the central reasons for increasing the tolls in line with inflation is to prevent the Mersey tunnels becoming a cheaper alternative to public transport, increasing demand yet further at a time when tunnels’ traffic flow capacity on to connecting roads in Liverpool city centre is reaching its limits at peak times.”

It also adds that there is no evidence the proposed increases will have any impact on the economies either side of the river.

Merseytravel’s power to raise tolls was awarded in 2004, despite a campaign against it.

A spokesman for the authority said the power would let it increase prices even higher in line with inflation, but it had chosen not to do that.

The extra £3.6m raised will go towards other transport schemes across Merseyside.

Merseytravel said it cannot be put towards the £70m cost of the failed Merseytram scheme.

Tunnel tolls were last raised in 2005, when 10p was added to Class 1 charges.

John McGoldrick, secretary of the Mersey tunnels users’ association, said: “This is a scandal. Drivers are regarded by Merseyside councillors as a cash-cow target.

“The other reason we are aggrieved is that things in other parts of the country, particularly Scotland, are going the other way.

“Scotland will be completely toll free, while in Merseyside we will have to pay extra tolls in order to fund other Merseytravel schemes.”