Tunnel campaigners plead for residents’ toll discounts

Apr 25 2008 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

ANTI-TOLL campaigners are to launch a “Mersey Tunnels manifesto” at a public meeting to be held in Wirral tonight.

The seven-point plan drafted by the Mersey Tunnel Users Association (MTUA) calls for immediate toll discounts for local residents, similar to those in place at the Dartford crossing, in Kent.

But MTUA said its eventual aim was for tolls to be completely abolished and for the tunnels to become part of the national roads network.

The meeting at the Grosvenor Assembly Rooms, in Wallasey, will be attended by members of all three main political parties, including Wirral West Labour MP Stephen Hesford.

The Mersey Tunnels Manifesto lists a series of long-term and short- term aims.

In the short term, MTUA says toll revenues should be used only for financing and maintaining the tunnels – instead of other transport projects on Merseyside – that residents have discounted tunnel tolls, and that Merseytravel should be made “more openly accountable to the taxpayers of Merseyside and the users of its services.”

The long-term aims would see the abolition of all tolls and the end of Merseytravel’s control of the tunnels.

The latest move comes only days after Wirral councillors agreed to work together to scrap the Mersey Tunnel tolls, which recently increased by 10p to £1.40 for car users. Drivers of other classes of vehicle faced even steeper rises.

In a full meeting of the council, Labour and the Liberal Democrats agreed to move a notice put forward by the Conservatives, as long as it was made a condition that tax payers, who may not use the tunnels, do not bear the brunt of costs.

John McGoldrick, secretary of the MTUA, said: “Tunnel tolls are an economic and social blight on the whole of Merseyside and Wirral in particular.

“It is encouraging that members of Wirral Council now appreciate the huge burden that the tolls represent to the borough and its residents. We will be closely monitoring what happens.

“At the Dartford crossings, the Government has decided that locals will get an 80% discount on the cost of the tolls.

“This sets a major precedent over the way tolls are implemented. Modern technology delivers the opportunity to offer reductions to regular local users of the tunnels.

Merseytravel declined to comment last night.

THE public meeting at the Grosvenor Assembly Rooms, off Manor Road, Wallasey, starts at 7pm.

alanweston