Severn toll rises to hit LGVs hard
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• Severn Bridge truck tolls are set to rise by 3.6% in the New Year—more than the increase for cars.
From 1 January a westbound crossing will cost £11.50, an increase of 40p.
Vans will pay 30p more (£7.70), while the car toll will rise by just 10p, to £3.80.
Frank Cook of the Freight Transport Association in Bristol says: "The increase could have been worse, but it's not good enough." The move comes in the face of hauliers' demands for a cut in tolls.
Research by Cardiff Business School (CM 26 Oct-I Nov) predicts that a 10% reduction in tolls would be enough to tempt trucks back on to the bridge instead of using routes around the Severn estuary through towns and villages.
The report says that such a cut would not lose the bridge operator revenue because extra traffic would be generated.