Debt waiver won't help tolls
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• Government plans to suspend part of the Humber Bridge's debt will not solve the problem of high tolls, says the Road Haulage Association. The warning follows transport minister Glenda Jackson's pledge to take action in the new year, allowing the bridge board to avoid repaying a proportion of its debt. The total debt is estimated to be more than £600m.
"It should be recognised that this is a very unusual set of circumstances and that the debt should be allowed to be written off so we can get the tolls down," says RHA regional officer Geoff Dunning. Earlier this year it was announced that tolls would rise from £10.50 to £15.40 for trucks on a one-way trip. The increases will be phased in.
Severn Bridge tolls are set to rise in line with inflation from January next year. Operators will have to pay an extra 40p a trip as the truck toll increases from Z11.70 to £12.10.