AM says scrapping tolls will invite ‘chaos’

LLANELLI’S AM has said he wants to keep the Severn Crossing tolls as he believes scrapping them will invite “chaos” to parts of Wales.

The tolls on both Severn crossings will end in less than two months’ time.

They have been in place for more than 50 years, having been in operation since the original Severn Bridge opened in 1966.

Despite the abolition of the toll charges being welcomed in Wales — every party in the Welsh Assembly backed the plans in a vote two years ago — Llanelli AM Lee Waters has said the decision to bring more traffic and congestion into Wales is “madness”.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Waters said: “Of course it sounds good to have free tolls, to save money on the bridge. I drive across the bridge. That sounds lovely.

“I’m saying we should reduce the tolls, but keep a level of tolls and use that money to generate borrowing to build an alternative — let’s build a full-on metro system, let’s build public transport right across the South Wales corridor

“The tolls coming off are going to increase the amount of traffic by at least a quarter, up to 40%, and it’s going to be chaos.

“I was talking last week about the impact of climate change on flooding and so on. This is madness. We’re doing the same thing over and over again.”

The tolls on both Severn crossings will end a week before Christmas Eve, on December 17, and the UK Government claims this will lead to a £1bn boost to the Welsh economy.

But Mr Waters thinks the UK Government is “using the tolls” to try to make sure the Welsh Government presses ahead with plans to build the M4 Relief Road, a brand new stretch of motorway going around Newport to the south of the city.

Mr Waters said: “It’s clear from this the UK Government are using the Severn Bridge tolls to try and force the Welsh Government’s hand to build a new motorway.

“First they tried to bribe us with borrowing powers if only we used it on a new road, now they admit ‘the effect of removing the tolls would act to hasten the requirement for upgrades to the network’.

“In all their modelling they assume that a new motorway will be built, but even if it does go ahead it won’t be open for five years and in the meantime they are unleashing extra traffic on to already congested roads. “This is at best irresponsible, at worst a deliberate attempt to dictate transport policy to Wales.”