High prices blunt M6 toll road impac
September 1st 2010 The M6 toll road has failed because rates are too high, according to Geoff Dossetter, chairman of OG Transport Media.
The road earlier came in for stinging criticism from green pressure group The Campaign for Better Transport, which said the road did not ease congestion in the West Midlands and did not provide value for money to drivers.
The report read: “Five years after it opened hauliers have overwhelmingly rejected the M6 Toll, choosing instead to remain on the already congested M6. HGVs make up between 9% and 13% of vehicles on the M6 Toll, but comprise up to a third of vehicles on the M6.” Talking to H&SS, Dossetter put this down to the rates charged.
“Use of the M6 toll has been poor because the tolls were set at higher rates than the market could stand. For a truck using the road twice a day for five or six days per week, 52 weeks per year, the cost of the toll, alongside other rising costs, make it prohibitive,” he said.
“If using the toll road, as opposed to the M6, made commercial sense for lorry operators then I have no doubt they would use it.” Despite criticism of the M6 toll road, Dossetter believes there is a case for exploring road pricing, although Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has it ruled out in this Parliament.
“Obviously the issue is political dynamite,” continued Dossetter. “The public fear the Government using road pricing as yet another stealth tax. But the problem has to be faced if we are to have a roads network fit for the purpose of serving a growth economy.” He argues The Lorry Road User Charge would provide a smart way to trial road pricing. Applying the method to 500,000 trucks, as opposed to 30 million cars, would enable the Government to understand the benefits and the problems of a wider scheme and weed out bugs.
“I think that it is highly possible the Government could opt to sell off the roads network. In this scenario, the way in which the buyer recovers the investment is also highly political,” he said. Options could include a shadow-toll paid by the Government from existing revenue streams, or a new form of road pricing.
Palletforce CEO Michael Conroy added: “The more efficient you are, the more road pricing will work in your favour.
“That said, the initiative has changed a lot over the years. There is a new government reviewing it and European involvement to consider. The detail needs to be ironed out before we can judge it properly.” More articles from Handling & Storage Solutions: | 
