Steve Rotherham has today announced details of a reduction to Mersey Tunnel tolls that will only be applicable during “off peak” times.
One of Rotherham’s key manifestos was to reduce tunnel tolls and he pledged to reduce the cost of each fast tag use to £1 instead of the current fee of £1.20.
In an announcement today the Metro Mayor announced the finer details of the reductions however they do not fully represent the deal that many drivers had hoped for.
If approved the new £1 tolls will come in to force from April however it will only be applicable to journeys that take place between 7pm and 7am Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday.
The proposal has been made ahead of next week’s meetings of the Combined Authority’s Transport Committee and its full budget meeting, where tunnel tolls for next year are due to be set.
Making the announcement, Mayor Rotheram said: “I fully understand that no-one likes paying tolls, so I have put forward proposals designed to reduce costs for regular and local users of the Mersey Tunnels. By freezing the fast tag and introducing the £1 off-peak, we are striving to make cross-river travel as affordable and convenient as possible.
“Encouraging more people to travel off-peak will also help to reduce congestion and improve air quality by reducing the number of queuing vehicles.”
“A review and refresh of tunnel operations is under way, which amongst other things, will look at the introduction of contactless payment and new technology.
“As part of that process I would want to look at ways in which we can make it as easy as possible for people to use the cheapest payment option.”