Tolls mean I can’t afford to care for my mum
● A DAUGHTER says she cannot afford to care for her seriously ill mum every day due to ‘immoral charges’ on the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
Jo Clarke, who lives in Aigburth, has already paid almost £200 crossing the bridge since it opened in October, to visit her 85-year-old mum in Runcorn.
The 54-year-old said she needs to visit her mum once, if not twice a day, but can’t afford to because of the £2 bridge crossing fee.
To visit her mum seven days a week would cost her almost £1,500 in toll charges a year.
She said: “My mum has got so many health problems, I couldn’t even begin to list them all.
“We have almost lost her on a few occasions, she can’t walk and the older she gets the iller she gets and the more she needs me.
“But I am having to limit the amount of times I go over because I can’t afford it.
“I feel so guilty because she needs me and I should be there.”
The Mersey Gateway, which cost £600m to build, opened on October 14, and spans the Mersey between Widnes and Runcorn.
Drivers of cars pay £2 each way to cross, which they can do online, by phone or by registering for an account – as the new bridge has no toll booths.
Those who do register their vehicle get a 10% discount off their crossing fee; however, Jo believes she and many others in similar situations are being penalised. She said: “What is happening with that bridge is immoral and someone, somewhere needs to do something. I understand the bridge needs to be paid for, but not like this.
“They should charge everyone a set amount for the year or something like that. My mum is suffering and it is not fair. “It is morally wrong.” Jo, who works once a week in a children’s home after dropping her hours to care for her mum, added: “She wants to stay in her own home because she is terrified of going into a care home and I am trying to give her a quality of life to be able to do that.
“People are telling me to put her blue badge in my car – but then I am breaking the law and risk a £1,000 fine, because she isn’t driving with me. Others say I should drive an hour and a half around through Warrington – but why should I?
“I don’t ask the Government ● for any money, I don’t want a carer’s allowance, because I want to care for my mum and it is a privilege to do so.
“But they are making it impossible for me to care for my mum like she needs.
“If something doesn’t get done, I am thinking of just refusing to pay and being taken to court.
“Because it is not just me I am fighting this for; I am sure a lot of people are in this situation.”
A Merseyflow spokesperson said: “A member of the Merseyflow team will contact the customer to discuss the best options available to them to ensure they get the best discount available.
“Due to data protection laws, we can’t comment on individual accounts, but we will look into this to see if we can provide any extra assistance.”