Price Freeze for M4 and M48 Tolls
It has been announced that the two Severn Bridges on the M4 and M48 will cease toll increase payments. The FTA (Freight Transport Association) has yet to confirm the specific date but none-the-less it is welcomed news by commercial fleet operators who regularly use the routes.
Ian Gallagher, FTA policy manager for Wales and the Southwest, has stated:
“The intended removal of all charges on the bridges by the end of this year is a welcome boost to logistics businesses in both the South West and South Wales already facing serious financial pressures. With the uncertainty of Brexit looming, anything which can help to boost business revenues is great news to keep economies on both sides of the Severn estuary trading effectively.”
January 8, 2018 will see control of the bridges hand back over into public ownership and become the responsibility of the Government owned body, Highways England. At this point the charges will be reduced by the level of VAT, which will see the rate for crossing the bridge reducing to £5.60 from £6.70 for car drivers, £11.20 from £13.40 for van operators and £16.70 from £20.00 for Large Goods Vehicles.
Gallagher said: “At such an uncertain time for the logistics industry, the injection of capital previously used for the payment of tolls will go a long way to future-proofing those businesses which keep Wales and England trading.
Even though the Government has pledged that both bridges will be toll-free by the end of 2018, the RHA (Road Haulage Association) remains cautious with concerns over traffic management, however, Chief Executive, Richard Burnett, agrees that the eventual removal of tolls ‘will be a tremendous boost to the local businesses and haulage firms who rely on these routes.’
