Motorway toll 'increases congestion'

Published on Sunday 2 October 2005 01:03

BRITAIN'S first motorway toll is failing to cut the amount of traffic on the road and is increasing congestion, according to a new study.

The Highways Agency report reveals traffic on the M6 in the Midlands is almost back to the level before the parallel M6 toll road opened at the end of 2003.

It also claims that traffic north and south of the toll road is much higher than before.

And while peak-hour traffic speeds are better, jams on the original M6 are still common, with cars and lorries at other times of the day moving more slowly than before.

The figures are a blow for arguments in support of the private 500m toll road and will add to pressure for using road 'pricing' of motorways instead.

Despite early enthusiasm for road tolls in Scotland, the Scottish Executive has so far refused to introduce the measures north of the Border.

Former transport minister Nicol Stephen, now the deputy First Minister, is known to favour road pricing, in which motorists pay charges to use congested roads rather than toll fees.

But official UK forecasts for traffic volumes are also worse than previously estimated, with campaign groups blaming the government's policy of refusing to raise fuel taxes as a major cause.

A white paper last year warned traffic would be 26% higher by the end of the decade compared with 2000, and more than 40% higher by 2025.

But an official analysis released by the Department for Transport showed these forecasts had increased to between 33% and 40% by 2010. It also said traffic volumes may now go up by 70% by 2025.

Last night, environmental groups criticised the government for failing to introduce road pricing. Chris Crean, from Friends of the Earth, said: "It [the toll road] is a massive traffic generator and has not relieved congestion."