Higher tunnel toll will hit business
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BING Mersey tunnel tolls would have a big impact on haulage ontractors, a Government inquiry in Liverpool was told.
The road tunnel tolls reduced flexibility and increased costs Dr both the port of Liverpool and its customers, said Tony .ynch, administration director of the Mersey Docks and Habour ;ompany.
Shipowners and importers vere reluctant to have vessels lirected to Birkenhead beause tunnel tolls added to the Nerall costs of transporting argo.
Mr Lynch was speaking at n inquiry into the financing if the Mersey tunnels — the irst of its kind in their 44-year iistory.
Merseyside County Council as applied to increase the oils from 60p to 70p for hgv nd from 25p to 30p for ehicles under three tons.
Mr Lynch pointed to one of he port of Liverpool's major sers, the Pacific Steam .lavigation Company, which recently moved its operations from Liverpool to Birkenhead.
The line, he said, carried large quantities of South .American copper which was taken mainly into Lancashire by a Liverpool company.
Switching the imports from Liverpool to Birkenhead increased the cost of road transport by 6p per ton to cover tunnel tolls and the proposed increase could add another 17 per cent to these costs.
The inquiry was the first of its kind into a British estuarial crossing's finances and no precedent has been available.
The Inspector, D. H. Crofton, was told that rising tolls would have a big impact on haulage contractors.
Further submissions were put by objectors that the tolls were a barrier to the Merseysiders' cultural, social and educational needs.
But the county council says the increase is needed to pay the annual losses now approaching E4m a year.
County treasurer Peter Jenkins said there had been a plan to lift the tolls after 40 years but the opening of the second tunnel, which had to be financed by tolling, dashed all hopes as it was impractical to have one free tunnel just a mile away.
The Inspector ended the four-day inquiry with an onsite visit to both the old and new tunnels to see peak-hour morning traffic pouring through the Wirral entrances.