& make motorcycles pay
Totally agree. If every bike paid just .50p each way then the fee could just be a £1 pr car..
The number of bikes going through compared to cars wouldn't even come close to that figure. I doubt if you'd even get it down by the 10p it's just gone up.
For bikers to pay they'd have to stop, take gloves off, get the money out of pockets, put gloves back on, and it's FAR to easy for them just to avoid the barrier, half the day would be spent stopping bikers (who Mersey Tunnel Police can't chase) to see if they'd paid.
The bikes don't slow things down (okay, so push bikes do) and the revenue increase from them would be minuscule.
The Automatic booths have huge queues at the moment, have done all week, as people put the £1.50 in and then sit there waiting for the barrier to go up. .
Here's one for you, and this I think will cause me grief but I'm going to say it anyway:
People in receipt of the Higher Rate Mobility Allowance can get a Fast Tag to use in a designated vehicle to go through the tunnel for free (if you haven't got one, apply for it, it's not transferable and the person it's registered to has to be in the car every time it is used), my question is, why do disabled people need one ?
Okay so I understand that everyone should have the same right of access to all places and facilities, but why does this mean that the tunnel should be free ?
If its because of the cost of getting to Liverpool then surely everyone on Income Support should get one.
If its because we don't want people with disabilities to be stuck on the Wirral unable to get about, well that's why we have a free Bus/Ferry/MerseyRail pass.
Cost Cutting for Mersey Tunnels:
Get rid of Fast Tags totally, the costs of the administration of it destroys any margins made from the advance payments.
Move out of expensive Waterfront properties, they're not needed to effectively run the tunnels, and can be anywhere.
Increase the Toll to £2, but one way only. Eases congestion and reduces booth maintenance.
Stop inventing things to spend money on, it's not your money eg: removing the "Manned" signs, putting LED signs up so we know the booth operators name, artwork in the tunnel - right on the bend as you go in, (shall we look at it).
Don't close the whole place down every time someone steps over one of the rails on the bridges, do something so it can't be done.
Limit the areas the Police Vehicles can be used, if they want to go to Mucky D's fair enough people have to eat, but the closest one, not the one in Bromborough because they know some of the staff in there.
If all else fails, just stop paying for it, what's going to happen, you can't repossess a hole.