Revealed: How tunnel tolls rise will subsidise public transport

Apr 5 2008 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

MERSEY tunnel tolls will increase by 10p at midnight tonight – with no guarantee the millions in extra revenue will be used for their benefit.

The Daily Post can reveal the tunnels will raise an additional £3.6m a year because of the increase in tolls from £1.30 to £1.40 and projections more people will use the facility.

Merseytravel accounts show that £3.3m from the tunnel tolls is to be used to finance debt on Local Transport Plan projects.

That is allowed under the Mersey Tunnels Act passed in 2004 which allowed tolls to be raised within recourse to a public inquiry.

Projects which could be helped include the collapsed Merseytram scheme, for which £50m was borrowed and that debt currently costs £5m annually.

Merseytravel’s published accounts show the anticipated income from tolls is estimated at around £38m for the next 12 months.

Of that, £10.7m will be used to reduce the remaining debt on the tunnels.

Last night, no-one was available from Merseytravel to comment on money from tolls being used for local transport plan projects.

But John McGoldrick, of the Mersey Tunnels Users Association (MTUA), said the figures showed that profits from the tunnels were being hidden away.

The MTUA plans to carry out a protest on one of the bridges overlooking the tunnel tomorrow to mark the first day of the new toll increase.

There are also plans to invite political leaders from Wirral to a public meeting later in April to talk about what can be done to reduce the impact on people in the borough.

In previous years, the MTUA has suggested making the tolls one-way, reduced off-peak charges, no tolls for buses and toll-free Sundays and bank holidays but all these have been rejected by Merseytravel.

Their latest campaign follows plans by the Government to subsidise travel through the Dartford Tunnel on the M25 for local people there.

According to Merseytravel, the extra income from this latest increase in tolls will pay for offices to accommodate administrative staff, tunnels police and engineering staff.

Charges for cars and motorbikes with sidecar will now rise by 7.7% from £1.30 to £1.40, while small goods vehicles and small coaches (Class 2) will pay £2.80, up from £1.30.

Charges for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and passenger vehicles (Class 3) will increase from £3.90 to £4.20, and heavy goods vehicles (Class 4) will pay £5.60 – a 40p rise.

A £4m capital programme has also been agreed for works to the tunnels next year. The total debt owed on the tunnels is still £78.4m, down from £95m in 2005.

Last year, £11m was paid off on the debt and interest and next year £10.7m will be paid to service that debt.

A spokesman for Merseytravel said despite the debt appearing to be paid off quickly, it would still be 2048 before it is cleared.

He added: “It’s a long-term government debt and structured in such a way it has to be paid in the way stipulated. If we pay it off earlier, there would be penalties. We have to keep to the timetable to pay it off.” He said economic conditions can be taken into account when determining whether to raise the tolls, but added: “We are facing rising costs as well as everyone else.”

OPINION: PAGE 6

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