Mersey Gateway Bridge tolls 'deliberately designed to catch people out’, say drivers

A number of car owners have voiced their disdain for the bridge’s payment process, with some asking why there aren’t toll booths so you can ‘pay as you go’ and not have to worry about remembering to pay later.

The cost per crossing ranges from £1.80-£8, depending on the size and type of your vehicle and whether or not you have any discount.

Currently, the only way to pay is online.

Drivers who do not make a payment to cross the bridge by midnight on the night of the day after their trip receive a PCN for £40, falling to £20 or rising to £60 for early or late payment.

An investigation last October showed drivers had been fined a whopping 855,000 times during the first year of the bridge’s operation.

The tolls and fines system has been a source of frequent anger and frustration for drivers and campaigners since the bridge opened in October 2017, and was slated by Maria Eagle MP who accused it of being ‘secretive and unresponsive ’ and lacking ‘sufficient public accountability’ at the end of last year.

Some motorists are now calling for the payment system to be changed.

Stephen Taylor said: “You should have the option to pay by cash, like the Mersey Tunnels.”

Neil Thompson said: “Not everyone has the internet. You could lose your phone, or have internet problems, or not know how to use technology too well.

“There are so many ways you could innocently fall foul to this way of paying.”

Piotr Ziętal said: “The signage is not clear enough and the 24h window is a joke when you’re going away for a weekend or longer, for example.

“I genuinely thought they hadn’t put the booths up yet at the time and online payment was just an option of payment. This should be an option!”

John Davies said: “Highway robbers. Simple as that. There should be toll booths. And signs on the motorway that say toll bridge ahead!”

Paul McClennon said: “It is a system that is totally for the benefit and convenience of the company rather than the customer.”

Not everyone is in favour of toll booths, though.

David Livens said: “The purpose of the bridge was to reduce congestion and ease traffic flow so toll booths would be a step back, but there are other ways Merseyflow could make the system fairer.

“Increase the time to pay to 14 days, for example, or allow people to utilise their prepay account when using a different car.”

Jackie Lewis said: “Imagine the traffic jams with people stopping to pay.”

A spokesman for the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board said: “In the earliest stages of development of the Mersey Gateway project it had been anticipated that the bridge would be subject to the traditional method of payment at barriers located in tollbooth plazas.

“However it was increasingly recognised that the technology involved in barrier free operation was developing and improving all the time and had been implemented effectively for a number of roads and bridges overseas.

“The decision to adopt barrier free operation for the Mersey Gateway Bridge was made in conjunction with the Government and Department for Transport in early 2011.

“Although this would allow the project to benefit from infrastructure and operational savings, the main reason for its implementation was to allow bridge users to enjoy quicker and more reliable journeys which was one of the key drivers for the project by maximising the free flow nature of the crossing experience.

“The 97% compliance rate shows us that our customers agree and we continue to explore ways to improve on this figure.”

Cllr Ellen Cargill says she has never heard anything ‘so ridiculous’ as the claim that the system is designed to ‘catch people out’

She said: “[This system] is the simplest, most easy way to pay the toll, and most people pay before they cross the bridge.

“For those who only cross occasionally there are enough signs to let people know they have to pay, online by midnight the next day.

“It’s unfortunate that we have a toll, the Government should should have provided the funds for this Mersey Crossing but they refused to do so.

“The old bridge was in a state of dilapidation that is the reason why it has taken so long to reinstate it. We had no choice in Halton, it was a case of a new bridge with a toll to cover the cost, or no bridge at all.”

Cllr Stan Hill echoed her comments, saying: “I imagine the bulk of these negative comments are from people living outside of Halton.

“The signage is 20 foot, you’d have to be blind not to see it – and then you shouldn’t be driving.

“The vast majority of Halton residents are happy with the system, because most are entitled to the Local User Discount (LUDS). And I’d just like to take this opportunity to reiterate the fact that Halton [Council] does not make a penny from the tolls.”