A CRUCIAL vote on increasing Mersey tunnel tolls appeared too close to call last night.

The Daily Post understands a Merseytravel committee scheduled to consider the 10p increase on Thursday could split, with nine votes for and nine against the move.

That could leave Sefton councillor Mark Dowd, Labour chairman of Merseytravel, with the decisive casting vote.

The knife edge nature of the vote emerged as business and political leaders in Wirral united in condemning the planned hike.

All of Wirral’s main political party leaders called on Merseytravel – which sets the tolls – to consider the impact of a rise in travelling between Wirral and Liverpool on the local economy. Under the proposals, tunnel tolls will rise by 10p from April.

It means a standard trip through the tunnels for a car will cost £1.50.

Wirral West MP Esther McVey said it was “the wrong increase at the wrong time” and Alison McGovern, MP of Wirral South, called on Merseytravel to show what steps they had already taken to make savings.

Users of the Fast Tag system would see smaller increases across the classes of vehicles under the proposals, starting at £1.30 for Class 1.

Under the RPI rules of the Mersey Tunnels Act, the tolls could have increased to £1.60 for cars and up to £6.50 for Class 4 vehicles.

Last year, car tolls were kept at £1.40 for “economic” reasons.

A report to the transport authority by Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales claimed toll increases help protect the tunnels against increased congestion, cover the cost of the tunnels, with the excess invested in “public transport alternatives across Merseyside”.

Mr Scales also highlighted a transport consultant’s report which said that, if tolls were removed, tunnel congestion would increase by “up to 40%”.

Mr Scales added: “The clear effect of the tolls is to protect the Wirral retail economy.”

Last night, the Mersey Tunnels Users Association described that as “ludicrous” and said it ran “counter to common sense”.

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Haha, funny. Because that's really the reason behind raising the price.

I don't think the council likes us leaving the Wirral, especially living in Neston. public transport or driving to liverpool and back can easily cost double figures. taxi home on a Saturday easily £50. We could dig a rival and free tunnel?

The more they charge for people to go to Liverpool the less they can say we are part of Liverpool and as Merseyside doesn't exist and the post code says we are CH, how about putting us where we rightly belong, back into CHESHIRE.
As far a Wirral and it's economy they blew that with high parking fees,if I want anything,I certainly don't go near Birkenhead or Liscard,I do go to the out of town places and we shop in Ellesmere Port

What about those 2 people (hahaha) who live in Wirral and have to Work in Liverpool? It's not all about where you go shopping, for goodess sake, is it?

My girlfriend drives to University four days a week, I also use the tunnel everyday -to work-. These people are f**king greedy arseholes.
Little Wirral cannot compete with the city of Liverpool! It's ridiculous (and selfish) to claim they're trying to keep shoppers on the Wirral (ie Birkenhead) by raising the tunnel fare. When the tolls go up, the director's pay goes up, it's obvious.

I stopped working in Liverpool years ago, so for me it's down to shopping,Wirral has made it difficult to park up and use the available transport to work in Liverpool add tunnel fees and Liverpool parking and now fuel,makes bargains expensive,Wirral lost it's way because it appears it doesn't want transport of any sort going to the town centre's and make parking expensive so bargains become non bargains,deliberate,greed or just wrong people in wrong job,I don't know,the councils have gold plated pensions to pay the management so I suppose another tax stream keeps the plebs from shouting about the high house rates.

What bugs me, is why motorcyclists go for free, they are travelling the same distance, but I pay £676.00 a year and they pay squat diddly

Always puzzeled me this, i can only assume its because your ment t o wear gloves on a bike ad it would be a pain getting money out and into the booth.

9 votes for / 9 votes against, chairman had the casting vote. I always thought if that was the case the chairman voted for the staus quo, not pushed the rise through on his vote.

The chairman voted for. Because he profits from the Mersey Tunnel.

His argument was a bag of potatoes cost 14p years ago and now costs 1.14p. If he doesn't understand the difference between someone buying a bag of potatoes and someone commuting to work everyday through a tunnel that was paid for using public money? He's a councillor as well!
The tunnel should be financed through road tax (which it probably is in part), having to pay a toll on each end is devious.

I cant understand why people are unhappy with 10p rise.

Its a £40 a year rise to many people. For something that is suppose to be free like many other crossings in the uk. Why is Merseyside getting increases when the rest of the country has had tolls abolished??

If you think 10p rise is nothing to bother about, can I suggest you start giving an extra 20p a day to charity.

spz hit wrong button...diggy am with ya on this one

spz hit wrong button...diggy am with ya on this one [/quote]

I donate enough to charity.

I think that answers your own question, the tunnel users feel they donate enough to the tunnels

and i will carry on donating to charity as i dont mind