TUNNEL bosses are planning to raise the toll for cars to £1.40.

A series of proposed price hikes will see some drivers paying a massive £1.50 extra per journey.

Councillors are being asked to back proposals to up charges on all four vehicle classes eligible to use the Kingsway and Queensway tunnels between Liverpool and Wirral.

Operator Merseytravel believes the move would raise an extra £3.6m a year and stop people seeing the tunnels as a “cheaper alternative” to public transport.

Drivers using the fast tag recognition system would still receive discounts.

Merseytravel today insisted its legal powers would allow it to raise tolls even higher, but it had opted for the proposed smaller increase.

But tunnels’ users branded the move “a scandal”.

The changes, which will be debated by councillors on Monday at a Passenger Transport Authority meeting, are:

* Class 1, including cars and motorbikes with sidecar, rising from £1.30-a-journey to £1.40.

* Class 2, covering small goods vehicles and small coaches, jumping from £1.30 to £2.80.

* Class 3, applying to goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and passenger vehicles, increasing from £3.90 to £4.20.

* Class 4, covering heavy goods vehicles, rising from £5.20 to £5.60.

Thought these tunnel's were sposed to be paid off a decade ago...

There has been a lot of publicity about the toll increase. Thank you to those who have helped.

We both went to the Merseytravel meeting yesterday (Monday) that was voting on the tolls. At the meeting and on the news there were the usual claims - that the tunnels had never been meant to be free, that the toll increase was being spent on the tunnels, that the debts run till the 12th of never, that they had asked the Government to write off the debts but they had been refused (probably by Disraeli), that tolls should go up because bus fares go up, etc.

Despite the Tunnel Tolls spin machine we may have made a little progress. In previous years when Merseytravel have wanted toll rises
17 out of the 18 councillors have voted for them (the exception was Jacquie McKelvie, a Tory who was on Wirral Council). This year was markedly different all 4 Wirral councillors (2 Labour, 1 Tory, 1 Lib Dem) voted against it, with 6 councillors voting for toll increases and 8 abstaining (apparently Lib Dems). We don't yet know the details but it seems that the 6 who voted for toll increases were Labour councillors from Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton.

The fight is not over. We ask that you write to the local papers and ring some of the local radio stations (the new City Talk station on 105.9 FM is a particularly good one to contact) to tell them what you think. (The Roger Philips show on Radio Merseyside apparently have a Merseytravel boss on at lunchtime today - Tuesday 5th).

We are having an MTUA committee meeting to consider what else we can do between now and the planned increase at the beginning of April. If you have any ideas or are able to help in any way then please contact us.

Looks like I'll be buying a bike soon then to avoid paying the tunnel toll

Why the f00k does a Tunnel toll booth need flowers ?


Honestly they have got a cheek.. Isnt the toll tax meant to be for the Debt in which the tunnels cost.. They must of payed it back by know ?

what is classed as a small goods vehicle, if its a Van, how does the auto system distinguish between a van, a mini bus and a people carrier?