Archive - Wednesday, 15 October 2008


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ARGUS COMMENT: Freeze bridge tolls

GIVEN the parlous state of our economy perhaps the idea to freeze the Severn bridge tolls next year should be taken seriously.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Michael German's call was made as it emerged the tolls are to increase by five per cent next year.

The annual increase is always a bone of contention in Wales but is likely to be even more so this time round with businesses already struggling to cope with so many increased costs.

Given that desperate times warrant special measures perhaps it is an idea which should now be taken seriously.

Scrapping the increase in the Severn bridge tolls would send a message to all those who do business in, and with, Wales that there is a preparedness here to take the necessary decisions to help the economy through these troubled times.

There is no doubt that the tolls are a barrier for businesses and visitors.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has already shown that he is more than willing to take radical action when the need arises.

Maybe now the time is right for an equally important step to be taken to rejuvenate the economy in Wales.

What might seem like a small step would actually have a major impact for many Welsh businesses especially for those whose transport costs face a hefty rise with the annual toll increase.


Your Say YourFree Press

King of the Hill, Stow Hill, Newport says...
15/10/08

There's the age old English joke about people happily paying to LEAVE Wales, not enter it.

Joking aside, this only highlights the less than favourable reputation Wales has and increasing the cost to enter the country is only going to deter people even more.

Whenever my family and friends come to visit they moan about the extortionate bridge fees. Having to pay a substantial/extortio
nate amount of money is not the warmest welcome to a country!

The only other option is by rail but the Portsmouth > Bristol Temple Meads > Cardiff service is shockingly third-world and not an experience I'd wish on anyone.

If anything, they should lower the bridge toll and encourage people across the border.

Owain Vaughan, Newport, Monmouthshire says...
15/10/08

People in continental Europe and the United States are used to toll roads, toll bridges and the like. Let's not trot out those tired nationalistic clichés about paying to enter a "country". It is a toll bridge, nothing more nothing less.

FWIW, the tolls are way too high, but it's not the only road that crosses the "border".

Lenin, Cwmbran says...
15/10/08

Yes the bridge tolls are too high and should be scrapped but the cheek of Mike German calling for this is unbelievable.

The bridge is a PFI project in which the builder also gets the maintainence contract for years, and in this case t=he income.

Each PFI project costs at least 10 times that of a straight capital project.

Mike and his Lib Dem cronies were quite happy to form an alliance witht the Tories who invented PFI when he thought that they could control the assembly.

What hypocracy to call for an end to tolls now.

Still any bandwagon for the unelected champion of any cause that raises his own publicity.

lostinspace, Newport says...
15/10/08

Without PFI the Second Severn Crossing would not have been built. By all means end the tolls and reimburse the bridge operator for the loss of their contract - but where will you raise the money from ? local welsh taxation? road tax? petrol tax? VAT ?
Reality of 21st century life - cut one spend area and you have to raise another.

Roger Stone, Newport says...
15/10/08

lostinspace - the builders have already been more than reimbursed for the cost of the bridge, built more than ten years ago. The remainder of the contract is the cream they were promised when the contract was first signed.

lostinspace, Newport says...
15/10/08

Roger Stone wrote:
lostinspace - the builders have already been more than reimbursed for the cost of the bridge, built more than ten years ago. The remainder of the contract is the cream they were promised when the contract was first signed.
RogerSTone, PFI contracts take up to 25 to 30 years before they start to show a profit. The sums of money borrowed to build are enormous and the interest on the sum borrowed is equally large. The only income to repay that debt is from the traffic over the bridge.

Ephesian, Newport says...
15/10/08

What another great idea from Mr German, scrap the toll and make everybody pay for the upkeep, even those that dont drive, the lights are on Mr German but is anybody at home.

Dave on his Soapbox, Casnewydd, Gwent says...
16/10/08

...the problem here is having any increase linked the RPI....whch has risen to 5% at the time any increse is set....
having said that....my wife has just benefitted with such a pay deal at the university.... it was either 2% or PRI which ever is higher so she's getting a 5% pay rise!

D Taylor, Rogerstone says...
16/10/08

Owain Vaughan wrote:
People in continental Europe and the United States are used to toll roads, toll bridges and the like. Let's not trot out those tired nationalistic clichés about paying to enter a "country". It is a toll bridge, nothing more nothing less. FWIW, the tolls are way too high, but it's not the only road that crosses the "border".
But we are not in France or the USA where tolls are common. We are in the UK where tolls are very rare. Imagine what would be said if there was a toll booth on the Chiswick Flyover. The Severn Bridge is just part of the motorway system but businesses in Newport wanting to operate in Bristol, the biggest city in the region, have to pay the toll to do business or face a 60 mile diversion.