A huge thank you to everyone who has used the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry crossings today for their patience as we all get used to the new tolling systems and arrangements. While there have been a few teething troubles, mainly caused by technology coming back into use after 10 weeks, these were fairly minor and did not cause any significant delays.
As this is the first day using the new shoreside payment system at the ferry and the social distancing tools at the bridge, we are monitoring how things are going very closely. We will continue to review the system and will make any changes to ensure the process at both crossings is running as smoothly as possible.
The majority of users were already aware that tolls were starting again today and came prepared with either working TamarTags in their vehicles or cash. Thank you to everyone who had the correct money – this helped speed up transactions and kept personal contact with toll collectors to an absolute minimum. Please continue to ensure that you have the correct money if you are paying by cash.
As explained yesterday we have some more work to do on installing the contactless card payment system at the Bridge but are working towards availability in some lanes by the end of this week.
Installing the new contactless facilities has been a major part of the technology upgrade of our entire toll system. The complexity of the process has required support from a team of highly specialised contractors. Unfortunately the works had to be suspended when the COVID 19 lockdown restrictions in Europe meant the European based contractor’s staff have been unable to continue to visit the site in person. Since then we have been working hard to deliver contactless through our ageing existing back office systems. This has meant working remotely with our contractor and with limited on-site resources due to the UK’s lockdown restrictions.
We are working hard to get the system in place as quickly as possible and we will continue to keep you informed on the progress.
We would also like to thank everyone who has been following the signs and driving with care when approaching the Ferry toll stations. This is a new process for Tamar Crossings staff as well as for our customers and we are very grateful for the sensible way in which people are using the crossings.
While we have received many positive comments from members of the public thanking us for keeping the crossings open during the lockdown, unfortunately there have also been a small number of negative comments, particularly on social media. We are always happy to hear from people with genuine concerns about our service, however we will not tolerate offensive comments being directed against our staff. We have reported these comments to the police.
Our staff and contractors have worked incredibly hard to get the new systems in place and we would like to thank them for their commitment.
