Tyne Tunnel Tolls

Document submitted to Rt Hon John Prescott MP against the toll increase

On 27 January 2000 the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority (PTA) decided to increase the Tyne Tunnel Tolls.

Before these increases can come into effect the permission of the Minister of Transport has to be obtained. On 1 June – four months later – the PTA has written to the Minister asking if they can increase their charges.

CARS

They are seeking to increase the charges for cars by 20p, this is in addition to the 5 p increase imposed towards the end of last year, making a total increase in less than a year of 25 p or 33%. The European Commission in Brussels wish to impose VAT on tolls and it is expected this will be brought into force by the end of this year with the tolls expected to increase to £1.20, an increase of 57%.

HGV

The charges for Heavy Goods Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are to be increased to £1.20. These charges are being kept low to encourage these large vehicles to use the Tunnel rather than the bridges. This is in spite of the fact that each vehicle has to be manually inspected in a special area prior to going through the Tunnel; they slow the other traffic and are greater polluters than cars.

OBJECTORS

If you wish to object to these increases you must write to:

The Minister of Transport, c/o Mr D McGlone, Tolls & Private Division, Zone 3/07 Great Minister House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR, with a copy of your objections to:

Mr K G Lavery, Clerk to the PTA, Civic Centre, Newcastle, NE99 2BN.

Objections must be submitted by 31 August 2000. It may well be there will be a Public Inquiry, at Newcastle, into the charges. If you wish, in your objection, you could say you wish one to be held. If you wish, you can get a copy of the case for the increases made by the PTA to the Minister from Mr Lavery at a cost of £7.50.

Reasons for increases

The reasons for the increases is said to be to pay of the loan debt for the original cost of the Tunnel, to pay for the operating costs, staff salaries, wages etc, and to pay certain costs for the new Tunnel.

The Tunnel Tolls are still being used to pay the debt for building of the Tunnel completed in October 1967, costing £13,459,187.00, to cover operating costs and to pay for the new Tunnel expected to cost £130 million, opening in 5 years time.

OBJECTIONS TO INCREASES

It is unjust that car users who now use the Tunnel are having to pay debt charges on the Tunnel built over 30 years ago, as well as having to pay maintenance costs, operating costs and to pay towards a new Tunnel. They also seem to have to pay the cost of the pedestrian Tunnel. According to the PTA accounts improvements to the pedestrian Tunnel in 1997/98 cost £142,00.00. It seems no more reasonable to expect pedestrian to pay for cars, as it is for cars to pay for pedestrians.

Because of the change in employment, there are no longer jobs on people’s doorsteps, in particular ship repair and shipbuilding; people now have to travel further to gain employment. To have excessive increases in the tolls is unfair to those living at the mouth of the Tyne and having to cross the river to work.

New “call centres” are being set up in North Tyneside, they are not well paid jobs but they are better than nothing, the higher the tolls will discourage workers from south Tyneside seeking work across the river.

This increase will come on top of the savage increases in petrol prices, being the most expensive in Europe.

The tolls and the proposed increase discriminate against those working at the East end of the Tyne who are unable to make use of the bridges in and near Gateshead/Newcastle. These people have free use of the High Level Bridge, Swing Bridge, New Tyne Bridge, Redheugh Bridge, (completed 1983) the new A1 Western by-pass Bridge, and the new Scotswood Bridge (completed in 1967).

A new footbridge is being built between Gateshead and Newcastle at a cost of £18 million, although there is already a footbridge a few yards away, again there is no charge being made for those who will use this new bridge.

METRO SYSTEM

Whilst the Metro train system is very good for those who live near the stations, as can be seen from Map 1 submitted to the Minister by the PTA, there is a great shortcoming in that there is no Metro link at the mouth of the river Tyne between North and South Shields. Had there been such a link, many people would have been able to use public transport rather than a car.

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

In the case to the Minister, the PTA (paragraph 5) admits that the increase in tolls for motor cars will have very little effect on the numbers using the Tunnel. This is because for those who live on one side of the river, and work on the other, it is the only game in town. A number of people live on the north side of the river and travel as far as Tees-side each day, there is no way a journey like this could be managed on public transport each day.

ECONOMIC MADNESS

It seems economic madness to have a toll structure that tries to increase the use of the Tunnel by HGV’s and so in effect levy a higher charge on cars and at the same time make it more difficult for them to use it.

GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT

It would appear from the PTA accounts that they get £45 million a year for public transport, but none for the Tunnel. There is to be an extension of the Metro system from Pelaw to Sunderland costing £100 million (almost the same for the new tunnel) to help to pay for this they are to get grants of £60 million from central Government and European Funding.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION

If you would like me to give a very short talk to any organisation your are associated with on the Tunnel Charges I would be willing to do this.

Stan Smith, 19 Cleaside Avenue, South Shields, NE34 8DQ

Saturday, 01 May 2004

Pictures of the Tyne Tunnel, from the Jarrow Entrance.