M6 Toll bosses urged to rethink as price hike announced
M6 Toll bosses have been urged to scrap plans to hike prices over fears the changes could lead to more traffic on nearby free-to-use motorways.
Midlands Express Ltd (MEL) has announced price rises of up to 50p for cars and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will come in on the M6 Toll from the end of July as part of an overhaul of pricing along the route.
It marks the second time the operator has increased prices in a year, after a 40p hike for cars last August.
The move has been slammed by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who warned the price rises flew in the face of the region's attempts to improve air quality and risked driving traffic off the toll road and back onto the gridlocked M6.
A letter to MEL signed off by Mr Street and the combined authority's seven council leaders, said: “We are extremely disappointed at the decision by Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL), operator of the M6 Toll, to increase charges, in particular for HGVs.
"This will do nothing to move more vans and heavy goods vehicles off the region’s other major roads and onto the M6toll.
"This needs to happen if we are serious about improving air quality and managing congestion.
"We are also surprised that MEL is proposing these increases at a time when a major public consultation on air quality, including the introduction of a clean air zone in Birmingham, is about to begin.
"Given the challenges we face around clean air we would expect all parties to play their part in tackling this major health issue.
"This price increase could push traffic back on to the M6 which will only result in poorer air quality.
"We trust that MEL will reconsider these price increases and work with us on improving air quality and managing congestion, two of the biggest challenges this region faces.”
The changes are due to come into effect on July 30.
Prices will rise for cars by 30p-50p per journey, for light goods vehicles by 10p-30p and for HGVs by 20p-50p.
The M6 Toll currently costs £5.90 for a car and £11 for a HGV.
MEL also announced a price freeze for night journeys for all light and heavy goods vehicles to support operators during the M6 roadworks, while a new 'Hopper' product will be trialled, allowing at least 100 drivers unlimited journeys for £20.
Andy Cliffe, chief executive of MEL, said: “We are committed to encouraging more vans and HGVs off the M6 and onto the M6 Toll and our price rises for commercial vehicles have been carefully set to ensure that we continue the significant growth in HGV traffic on the M6toll that we saw in 2017.”
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, has called for the toll on the route to be scrapped entirely.
He said: “When conceived the M6 Toll was intended to be a pathfinder beacon for much more similarly toll-funded road capacity, but since that never happened the reality is that the M6 Toll sticks out like a sore thumb.
“Surely the right answer is for it to be properly integrated into the Highways England network, toll free.
“It would be a great pity if this sharp hike in tolls persuaded drivers to stick with the old M6 – commercial traffic is particularly price sensitive.
“Whilst there is precedent for local discount schemes, for example at Dartford, opening the offer only to a maximum of 100 residents seems extraordinarily cautious.”
Meanwhile anti-toll campaigners say the route should be nationalised. John McGoldrick, for the National Alliance Against Tolls, said: "It is not too late for the Government to buy the road, remove the tolls and provide a real boost to the economy."
