Government approves formal application to increase Cash Tolls

Earlier this year the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee reluctantly took the decision to increase tolls to secure the long- term future of the two crossings.

Between them the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry carry around 18 million vehicles a year (16 million on the bridge and 2 million on the ferries), with the two crossings recognised as uniquely important to the economy of the region.
The Tamar Crossings are almost entirely funded by toll income, which is used to ensure safe operation, ongoing and proactive maintenance and considered improvement of the bridge and ferries.

In coming to their decision, members of the Joint Committee noted the undertaking’s growing level of debt – £43.085m at the end of January 2022 – that had funded capital projects. They also noted that the repayments and interest on this debt represented 33% of toll income by the end of March 2022.

Having considered the evidence contained in the application to increase cash tolls, together with the feedback from the public consultation, the Secretary of State for Transport has now approved the formal application to increase cash tolls by 30%. A formal Toll Order allowing the increase to be introduced from 1 January 2023 is expected to be issued within the next few weeks.

Discounted Tamartag rates were changed in May this year and will not increase from the current rates.

The increase in cash tolls will mean that the rate of discount for TamarTag holders will revert to 50% from 1 January 2023.

The income needed to operate the crossings relies on traffic numbers, and even now, more than two years after the first lockdown, our traffic levels are only about 90% of pre-pandemic levels .

We need to ensure that we have the funding required to carry out vital safety works and ongoing maintenance to keep services running and enable the public to cross the Tamar safely.

This additional revenue will address the shortfall in income and provide us with the funding to secure the future of both the bridge and the ferries.

Joint Chairs Plymouth City Councillor Jonathan Drean and Cornwall Councillor Martin Worth