MP presses for toll-free trips across bridge
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ARUNCORN MP has quizzed the Welsh Secretary if funding to make the Severn Bridge free to cross could be extended and remove Mersey Gateway tolls for Cheshire and Merseyside residents.
Mike Amesbury of the Weaver Vale constituency spoke to Alun Cairns in the House Of Commons during a debate on cross border transport.
Mr Amesbury raised the subject of tolls on the Severn Bridge between England and Wales, which are due to be scrapped by the end of this year.
The tolls were also reduced month.
But with the Government pledging to remove tolls on the Severn Bridge by the end of 2018, Mr Amesbury asked Mr Cairns if the same could be done with the Mersey Gateway between Runcorn and Widnes.
The Weaver Vale MP said: “If providing funding to remove the tolls from the Severn Bridge is good enough for the people of Wales, why not extend such a generous Government offer to the people of Cheshire and Merseyside and do away with the tolls on the Mersey Gateway?”
Mr Cains responded that the charges over the Severn crossing have been in place for more than 50 years and said the Mersey Gateway has ‘very different levels of tolls’ from those levied between England and Wales.
He said: “Locals will not have to pay on the Mersey Gateway bridge, other than the £10 administration fee; locals around the Severn tolls have had to pay the full charge for 50 years.”
The £1.86bn Mersey Gateway opened to traffic in mid-October last year and last ● more than two million journeys were made across it during its first month of business.
But 50,000 fines were also issued within the first four weeks and could have generated more than £1m.
Tolls per individual journey include £2 for cars and small vans, £6 for vans and minibuses, and £8 for HGVs and coaches.
Discounts of up to 10% are available, as well as monthly travel passes.
Eligible Halton residents can also have unlimited crossings through paying a £10 annual administration fee and displaying a sticker on their vehicle’s windscreen.
Speaking outside the chamber, Mr Amesbury added: “The bridge has been open for three months now but I’m still continuing to receive complaints from concerned constituents not only about the cost, but also about fines, so it’s clear this issue isn’t going away.
“I’ve said time and again that this bridge should be paid for by the Treasury, and not by motorists.
“The Government should stand by its original promise and prove it was a real commitment, and not a cynical pre-election ploy.”
Mr Amesbury also joined forces in the Commons with fellow Labour MPs Justin Madders and Chris Matheson of the Ellesmere Port And Neston and City Of Chester constituencies respectively what recent discussions Mr Cairns has had with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on improving cross border transport links between Wales and England.
Mr Cairns said: “I hold regular discussions with cabinet colleagues and the Welsh government on modernising cross border transport connectivity.
“With 50% of the Welsh population living within 25 miles of the border, improving connectivity is central to delivering economic growth on both sides.”