Safe Speed Forums

The stakeholder is Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia
http://www.macquarie.com.au/au/mig/asset_portfolio/uk/m6toll.htm
and note that the increases are

Why not? It's a private road owned by a private company. Nobody has to use the road, and if you feel that the price is too high then you can use the M6 instead.

Interestingly this means the M6 Toll is now double the cost of using the M4 Severn Bridge. One of them is a remarkable engineering achievement that I don't mind paying for, the other is just a strip of tarmac. Hmm.

Such mechanisms apply, for example, to railway franchisees and water companies.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Cynical as I am with any government, I bet there's a link somewhere back to the UK?

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

Dartford Crossing also charges even though both the tunnel and the bridge have been paid for. I think you may have been more accurate in saying "One of the many toll routes I know of in the UK that charges for bikes too. Are there any that don't?"



Down to the price of grain doubling thanks to the Americans offering more if it is grown for ethanol production. The fact that this has occurred at the same time crude oil has rocketed has resulted in a massive increase in basic foodstuffs.

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Prepare to be Judged

The Severn Bridges are free for motorcyclists I believe.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge charges them, and at the full 50p rate (it was only 30p last time I used it!)

Nope, motorcycles are free, see:

http://www.dartfordrivercrossing.co.uk/drc/toll.htm

IIRC it was changed a few years ago after a mass "pay-in" by bikers which brought the road to a standstill.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Also Severn, Forth and Tay bridges, I know are all free for bikers.

Ah, I last crossed it more than a few years ago.

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Prepare to be Judged

It give me a warm fuzzy feeling to see that so few vehicles are using the M6 Toll they've had to hike the prices. Serves the right. I've been a passenger on it a couple of times and it always seem pretty empty. Certainly the HGVs seem to give it a wide berth - hence the cash flow problems.

Never did like the concept and hate the execution. The junctions at the northern end are clearly designed to favour the Toll road and local signage in the area of the southern end very deliberately pushes you on to the toll if you haven't your wits about you - I use the southbound A38 to the M42 and signs around there will have you paying the toll to go one junction quick as you like.

The Dartford bridge is another joke. One Saturday morning I joined several miles of crawling traffic - the hold up? The toll booths. I shudder to think what it's like in the weekday rush. And it's been paid for!!!

My favourite toll is the crossing of the Trent near Newark, how did we end up with a 30p toll bridge on an A-road? They've put new booths in now but years ago I did the whole off the bike, on to the stand, gloves off etc etc Only one booth then 10p I think they got.

Barkstar

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The difference between intelligence and stupidity is that intelligence has limits.

I used to use it both ways when I travelled between Crewe and Rugby. It is a very satisfying motorway to drive along as there are virtually NO heavy lorries, THANK GOODNESS. However, since the last increase I only travel south on it, as when I come back there is little traffic on my alternative route which is M1, A50, M6. Dual carriageway the whole way back and no toll !! (slightly longer though, but not enough to use £4.50 worth of petrol).

Maybe they'll make it £10 a throw and then go bankrupt. It happened to a private toll motorway in France about 30 years ago.

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Good manners maketh a good motorist

I sure hope theres some clause that if they go bankrupt the government get first refusal on the purchase of the road!

At which point they'll increase the toll to recover the money from taxes.

Oh and years after the money has been recovered the toll will still exist.

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Prepare to be Judged

In terms of the toll for the Mersey Tunnel, I suppose the M6 Toll is reasonable on a mile for mile basis, as the Mersey Tunnel is £1.30 for about 2 miles, whereas the M6 Toll is £4 for around 22 miles.

I still like driving along it as it's like a motorway from the 60s in terms of traffic. But there is an alternative route for me, and as I don't like to get bored, I tend to go out on M6T and back the other way !! If the alternative was really crowded , I have to admit that I would use it both ways.

Incidentally, I e-mailed them to ask why they don't do a 'Return Ticket' at a discount to the Single Fare. No reply so far !!

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Good manners maketh a good motorist

I wouldn't hold your breath!

Well spotted "dixie" on this one as I use the M6 regularly in my job as a a HGV driver and every day except sundays the matrix signs are put on at about 6.30am saying M6 toll clear or congestion after next jct. indicating slow traffic after Hilton park services

The amount of times you get to the services to find nothing wrong and just the usual build up of traffic is normal for this area

This is obviously a well intended spurious ploy to get the unwary to use this overpriced piece of road as the majority of drivers like me, in principle WILL NOT PAY TO USE IT

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"There But For The Grace of God Go I"

"He Who Ain,t Made Mistakes Ain,t Made Anything"

Spannernut

Never used it yet, never will.....................I haven't had a problem yet. Sounds to me like they're getting desperate.............

Well done "orange" on this one as you got it spot on with the comment about "You Don,t have To Use It", as a HGV driver I will not use this toll rd under any circumstances except when I a) have permission from my boss or b) after permission is granted to use it would save me a lot of time on a journey to say Felixstowe or the South.

Why should the beleagured and overtaxed motorist pay for this toll rd when there is a perfectly good M6 running south to virtually the same destination as this rd (The M42) as it is patently obvious that this was a PR exercise by the govnmt. to get the motorist use to paying tolls through the back door and has disastrously backfired and as long as people refuse to use this rd. and use the M6 the better it will be for the motorist.

I have no sympathy fore these leeches of society who purport to be "helping" the motorist get to a destination quicker by using this rd and charging for the priviledge as we all pay road tax so why should we subsidise roads like this?

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"There But For The Grace of God Go I"

"He Who Ain,t Made Mistakes Ain,t Made Anything"

Spannernut

And somehow it seems rather suspicious that cameras appeared on another alternative to the toll road and M6 -A446 - again using safety to make a road less appealing ??.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

And of course, if THIS (private road) should become a success, then ALL motorways will become so.

What Then will be it's advantage?.......