Thames tolls anomally
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THE SURFACE Transport Committee of Merseyside Chamber of Commerce and Industry has pointed out the inconsistency of Government policies on tolls for estuarine crossings, following statements that the proposed new crossing of the Thames linking the A13 to the A2 in East London will be toll-free.
In pressing again for the withdrawal of tolls at the Mersey Tunnels and other estuarine crossings, the chamber says in a letter to the Department of Transport that the proposed new major Thames crossing in East London was a major project involving approximately six miles of new road and including a bridge over the river with a total length together with approach viaducts of 4,967ft. The Department of Transport brochure describing the scheme stated that "tolls would not be charged for crossing the river".
"At an estimated cost (1981 prices) of £103 million this is surely a major estuarine crossing," says the chamber. "We would be interested to learn the Secretary of State's explanation of this inconsistency in his department's policy. We wish to make it clear that we are not seeking the imposition of tolls in East London, but rather the removal of tolls elsewhere."