Mersey Tunnels toll set to rise again next year

Anti-tolls campaigner, John McGoldrick said motorists were being "ripped off"

The cost of crossing through the Mersey tunnels is set to rise again from April next year.

The request to raise the cash toll for a single trip through the Kingsway and Queensway tunnels from £2.10 to £2.30 is expected to be approved by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority next week.

John McGoldrick from the Scrap Mersey Tolls campaign group said the tolls should be scrapped or reduced rather than increased.

The combined authority said the rise would help reduce congestion and improve air quality and promote public transport, but one campaigner has labelled the plans "a disgrace".

Residents with T-flow accounts are set to face a hike of 10p from April under the plans

Residents with a T-Flow account get a discount but the price for those with cars is set to rise by 10p to £1.50 under the plans.

City region residents with a T-Flow account would pay the same toll as in 2007 - before the local rate was introduced, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said.

John McGoldrick from Scrap Mersey Tolls said the planned increase was "a disgrace" and called for the tolls to be scrapped or "at least reduced".

He added that the combined authority should "get the government to take over the tunnels".

A Liverpool City Region Combined Authority spokesperson said the authorised toll rate, as set by the government, was £2.80, and the Mayor and the authority had consistently used their power to keep tolls significantly lower than this.

'Year-round maintenance'

A report to councillors said traffic levels for Mersey Tunnels, which connect Wirral and Liverpool beneath the River Mersey, had returned to pre-pandemic (2019) levels, and it cited an increase in traffic even after a toll rise last year.

"Whilst increasing prices for the next financial year, there remains a significant reduction compared with the Retail Price Index and authorised toll levels, particularly for residents of the Liverpool City Region who pay via T-Flow," the report added.

The combined authority said electricity costs for the tunnels reach more than £2m a year, and millions of pounds of investment to help keep them open and safe was required.

Mersey Mayor Steve Rotheram has described the tunnels as "a critical part of our region's infrastructure and require significant, year-round maintenance".

Members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will discuss and vote on the proposals next Friday.

The Queensway Tunnel, which is more than 80 years old, goes from Birkenhead and the Kingsway Tunnel, which is over 50 years old, goes from Wallasey in Wirral.