Severn Bridge....the News Just Gets Better And Better !

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-38616302

Yesterday, we were told that the new fees in next year will probably be only £3:00, against the nearly £7:00 it cost today. Now it could even be free at night !

This is the best news since the Bridge was stolen away from us years ago.

[Baldric]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Bridge#Ownership

[mushroom25]

if, Mikey, the bridge hadn't been stolen from you, as you put it, the new second bridge would never have been built, and the traffic that has been using that second bridge for the past 20 years would still have been using the first.

remember the issues with the failing structure of the forth bridge a few years ago? that's where you'd be with the severn bridge if the second crossing didn't exist.

would you really be prepared to put up with years and years of disruption and delays, just to satisfy a political point?

[mikey4444]

The Second Severn Crossing....ie the new bridge, could have been built just as the first bridge was, by public funding. But it wasn't, and that was a political decision by the Government of the time.

Instead the people of Wales have been held to ransom for years, by an Act of Parliament....see the above link. And the country of Britain owning not one percent.

It was a licence to print money and that, thanks goodness, will come to an end next year, and not a moment too soon.

[mushroom25]

//The Second Severn Crossing....ie the new bridge, could have been built just as the first bridge was, by public funding.//

unlikely. whilst the owners of the crossing acquired the fabric of the old bridge, they also inherited the huge debt that still hadn't then been repaid on that bridge's original construction cost. plus (as you'll know if you use the old bridge) it's a complete crock, with all sorts of restrictions on heavy vehicles and an ongoing maintenance cost of millions.

[Oldred]

In 1992 ownership of the first Severn bridge was handed over to a consortium with revenue from it's tolls being used towards the construction costs of a second bridge, the maintenance and operational costs of both bridges and the clearing of £100 million costs which were still outstanding on the construction of the first bridge.

The amount of revenue needed to cover these costs was fixed and once achieved the consortium passes both bridges into public ownership.

When the consortium has relinquished control of the bridges the toll revenue will only need to cover maintenance, operational costs and some costs which were incurred outside of the contract. Together with the removal of VAT this means that toll charges can fall.

It amuses me that you will not, in spite of prompting by others, answer my direct question concerning the effect of Labour organised PFI contracts on current NHS problems, which I posted in response to your question (aka 'Lets have another go at the Tories') of Jan 11th at 14:02, yet here you are decrying a similar deal on the Severn bridges.

Could it have anything to do with who organised it ?

I would be most interested to hear how you contrast the Severn Bridge contract with the £11+ billion PFI contracts organised under Labour. Have they resulted in theft as well?

[Muntin]

Two lands at last connected
across the waters wide
And all the tolls collected
on the English side.

Harri Webb

[Oldred]

//It was a licence to print money and that, thanks goodness, will come to an end next year, and not a moment too soon.//

Drivel

The contract was awarded following a tendering process.

The allowable revenue was fixed at the commencement of the contract .

Accounts are subject to government scrutiny and their presentation is governed by the Severn Bridges Act 1992.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572354/severn-crossing-accounts-2015-web.pdf

[Old_Geezer]

We rightly don't have tolls on motorways nor other roads (except the annual road fund licence) so there is no reason for bridges to be an exception. There's never been any excuse to take money to cross, and discussions about maintenance are irrelevant as all roads need maintaining. A country should maintain it's transport infrastructure.

[mikey4444]

Well said OG...

This special tax has been a millstone around the neck of people in Wales for far too long. If I would to travel across the bridge, every day for a month, and there 10,000's that do that, I would be paying £134, which is hugely above the money that I pay every year in road fund tax.

A portion of the M4 was also sold off to foreigners ....how was that allowed ?

[ToraToraTora]

great mikey, do you yearn for England a lot?

[Zacs-Master]

Never heard of the M6 toll road then?

[Old_Geezer]

IIRC you can leave Wales for free; it's getting back in that costs.

[mikey4444]

Zacs....Very bad example to give !

You don't have to use the M6 Toll road, if you don't want to, but if you are crossing from England to Wales, or vice-versa, the Severn Bridge is the only viable route to use.

[Old_Geezer]

M6 ? Never use it so if it had also done the wrong thing and put a charge on it, thus taking a step back from civilisation, then I've either not heard or not kept it in my memory. Sort of thing one would want to forget I'd think, society going backwards.

[Zacs-Master]

It's a new(ish) road OG not the old M6.

[Zacs-Master]

Mikey, how can it be a very bad example when it completely undermines OG's assertion that 'We rightly don't have tolls on motorways'?

[mikey4444]

Zacs....it doesn't matter. People can ignore this money-making road if they like and hundreds of thousands of people do every year.

[mikey4444]

Zacs....I have already said that the M6 Toll road is entirely avoidable.

[Zacs-Master]

Avoidable it may be. Exist, it certainly does. Oh, and there's the Dartford crossing as well.

[Old_Geezer]

Hardly completely undermines. The statement is still true apart, it seems, for one, or maybe a few, aberrations. Need to stop the rot as soon as possible, and replace those who pushed for/allowed charging. They may never not got away with it if tolls on bridges had been abolished in the first place.