• Barriers are being installed on the Severn Bridge in
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a bid to stop trucks racing through the toll area at dangerous speeds.
Bridge managers claim that trucks which are fitted with the new electronic tolling device are being driven so fast they could endanger staff working in the manual toll booths.
"The electronic system works so well that trucks have found they can go through faster than we would like and it could be dangerous," says Severn River Crossing general manager David Foice. "The narrow lanes present a potential hazard".
Foice says the barriers, to be put up in the next two months, should not mean more congestion but would have a psycho logical effect on drivers making them slow down more as they go through.
Electronic tolling has been available for nine months on the bridge. Foice hopes payment by cash or credit cards will be replaced in five years.
However, many hauliers are boycotting the tag system which scrapped a 10% discount for operators who previously bought pre-paid books.