1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190 
Sort out toll, demand locals
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Birmingham businesses want the government to sort the V6 Toll Road out. Guy Sheppard reports.
THE BIRMINGHAM Chamber of Commerce and Industry's research shows that only one in eight local businesses use the new road to move freight.
Debbie Walsh. the chamber's head of policy. says: Our figures indicate that generally businesses are turning their backs on the M6 Toll and we believe the pricing structure is weighted heavily against use by trucks.
"We believe it's time for the operators to step in and review their pricing policies and for the government to look at ways of introducing some control."
The chamber argues that, although difficult, asserting control could be the only way the government can ensure the road fulfils its intended purpose of relieving congestion.
MEL, the operator, continues to maintain that the £10 charge is good value for trucks, and says it will take little notice of the survey. Tom Fanning, managing director of MEL, adds: -Midland Expressway was not approached by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce to take part in this survey. and does not have details of how the survey was carried out. As a result, we would therefore prefer not to corrunent on the results. As far as our traffic data is concerned we believe it is too early to analyse driver patterns as driver behaviour takes time to change."
But comments made by the 50 respondents to the chamber's survey show that lack of need, as well as cost, explains hauliers' lack of enthusiasm for the toll road.
Comments include: "Our goods delivery drivers tend to start very early in the morning when M6 traffic is probably light," and "It's quicker to go the country way past the Belfry." Another says: "Most of our business is in Birmingham so we have no choice but to use the old M6.