Motorists call for more time to pay Tyne Tunnel fee

The Tyne Tunnel launched a new payment system in November

Almost 8,000 people have signed petitions demanding motorists be given more time to pay for using the Tyne Tunnel.

Operator TT2 removed payment booths in November with drivers given until midnight the following day to pay online or by phone for their journeys.

Campaigners say it is not long enough for people to pay and claim motorists have encountered system errors.

TT2 said it was "helping customers" with the transition.

The tunnel costs £1.90 for cars and £3.70 for lorries, with a 10% discount for those who pre-pay,

Those who fail to pay are issued with a £60 charge, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days or increased to £100 if not settled within 28 days.

Motorists must pay the toll by midnight of the day after their journey

Gary Spedding, whose petition has been signed by more than 6,100 people, said the number of fines had "skyrocketed" since the system change and said people had also encountered errors making it impossible to pay.

His petition calls for a "scrapping of the current fine system to be replaced with a more equitable process and ethical cost".

It claims: "The number of errors with the new system, coupled with the massive increase in the number of people receiving fines, is simply unacceptable.

"Countless individuals have come forward to relay the severe distress and financial hardship caused by the penalty fines."

The petition calls for all unpaid toll charges from the last six months scrapped and drivers to be given up to five working days to pay the toll.

Campaigners also want the penalty charge reduced to a "more ethical and affordable" £20, cut to £5 if paid within 14 days and rising to no more than £40 if not paid within 28 days.

A second petition started by Mark Birkett has been signed by more than 1,600 people.

'People forget'

A TT2 spokesman said 94% of users paid on time in the first month of operation and the new system is "a faster, smoother way to travel".

He said: "Changing a tolling-system that has been in operation for decades will naturally take customers some time to get used to.

"While we recognise there was some inevitable confusion at the outset, we are working with customers to help them through this transition."

TT2 also said "transitional rules" are in place so it can "uphold more appeals", while research suggests giving people longer to pay "increases that risk that people forget".

The spokesman said the level of the fine is "defined by byelaws and not set by TT2", adding it covers the cost of "toll recovery" which "ensures customers who do pay their toll are not disadvantaged".