Cross-Party Fighting sees the Tamar Crossings a Priority. Toll Freeze vs Cheaper Tolls for Locals
From the Saltash Observer May 2024 – Issue 383
Cheaper tolls for locals is a wonderful political soundbite for attention grabbing, we encourage supporters to ask for the detail of what is actually intended by it though. For instance:
- Cheaper than what?
- Who qualifies for it?
As always, the devil is in the detail. We ask for the detail, but our understanding of this proposal is:
- Tolls will actually increase for everyone as Labour not only agree to the currently proposed toll rise, they also agree to the plan for annual RPI linked rises. This is not cheaper tolls for locals, it is just cheaper than much elevated tolls for non locals.
- As above, it is not proposed to reduce tolls for locals, only to increase them by a smaller amount than that for non locals. Our crossing costs will therefore not reduce from what we pay now and the local cost burden will increase rather than reduce.
- There is no definition of what constitutes local (and no plan to define that) ergo anyone will be able to apply for a tag as a “local” irrespective of their location.
- Should this proposal happen without a definition of what constitutes “local”, the incentive to apply for a tag will increase exponentially for even occasional users. The tags themselves are actually quite expensive at £17 each. This potentially will increase operating costs and reduce Tamar Crossings income as, inevitably, more people will apply for tags to avoid the newly elevated toll.
- If you do set a definition of “local”, how do you define the cut off point? Too far away and again, crossing revenue suffers. Too close and you disenfranchise a significant number of users regularly reliant on the crossings.
- In a worst case scenario, the total toll revenue raised may therefore actually reduce without ever actually having made crossing the Tamar cheaper for any of the locals this policy purports to support. This as more people apply for Tags and non local seeks other routes to avoid the elevated tolls that are proposed by this policy.
If the Transport Secretary does deliver on the collective request to Government from Conservative MP’s for a toll freeze and government funding contributions from the next 5 year RIS 3 pipeline funding, it would at least mean that residents and businesses would not suffer increased costs to go about their daily lives for the next five years. It would also finally set a precedent for funding to be provided by National Highways towards operation and maintenance of this critical part of the Strategic Road Network.
That still leaves much room for further action though and only the proposals from the Lib Dems and Mebyon Kernow, i.e. for both crossings to be adopted and funded centrally, really deliver in full for the people of Plymouth and South East Cornwall. It is long past due that this heavy burden of cost was shared nationally rather than locally.
