The Local Public Inquiry into the application by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee to revise tolls on both crossings will begin at 10 am on Wednesday, 13 January 2010.

The Inquiry, which has been ordered by the Secretary of State for Transport, is being held at the Lower Hall of Plymouth Guildhall.  Full details of the Inquiry, which is open to the public, will be contained in formal notices being published in The Herald and the Western Morning News on 29 December 2009 and 12 January 2010.

The proposed increase in tolls is needed to allow the Joint Committee to continue to provide safe, reliable, convenient and cost-effective crossings to members of the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Since the last increase in cash tolls in 1994 the Joint Committee has been able to achieve this aim and, at the same time, to significantly improve capacity and extend the service lives of the two crossings through a number of major capital projects.

These have included

• a major upgrade of the Tamar Bridge completed in 2001
• replacement of the Torpoint Ferries in 2004 and 2005
• introduction of the TamarTag electronic tolling system in 2007

Together these projects represent approximately £60 million pounds of investment which has been used to protect the future of the service. However escalating costs mean that the service has been running at a loss for the past two years.  As the service only has very limited reserves, which will be used up by early in 2010 at the current rate of consumption, this is not a sustainable position and the Joint Committee has been forced to consider alternative options.

As well as funding the increase in running costs, the Joint Committee also needs to generate additional income to fund a programme of increasing maintenance expenditure.  Many elements of both the Bridge and the Ferry were either renewed or refurbished between 2001 and 2005, leading to a period of relatively low maintenance.  However this maintenance 'holiday' is now at an end and the Joint Committee needs to carry out a phase of more comprehensive maintenance activities.

"If the Joint Committee is to continue to provide the service that customers expect, we need to raise all tolls by 50% as soon as possible" said Joint Chairman (Plymouth), Richard Ball. "We are pleased that we have been able to keep the proposed increase in cash tolls in line with general inflation since our last application in 1994, despite our significant investment in improved services. We are also pleased that we have been able to formulate a business model that retains the current 50% pre-payment (TamarTag) discount which is particularly important to local users. "

"If the Joint Committee is given permission to increase tolls in line with the application, it would mean that the cash car toll would rise from £1 to £1.50 and the pre-paid TamarTag car toll would rise from 50p to 75p.  Even with this rise the Tamar crossings would still be amongst the cheapest tolled estuarial crossing in the country and would also continue to offer the highest discount on pre-paid crossings. "

"The Joint Committee recognises that the current economic climate makes any increases in costs particularly unwelcome at this time.  However we hope that users and stakeholders will recognise that the proposed increases in toll charges have been deferred for as long as possible and accept that the increased revenue is essential in order to ensure the quality and sustainability of this vital service into the future. "

For more details on the Toll Revision Application and Public Enquiry please goto the Toll Revision page.