Free Access For Trucks To M6 Toll

[mushroom25]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22245001

will this make a difference to the chronic road congestion in the midlands?

[mushroom25]

//it doesn't matter if you go the whole distance of the Toll Road or travel for just one junction, it's the same price !. //

not strictly true Tony - if you exit at an intermediate gate, there's a discount of £1.50 weekday daytimes and £1.00 at night and weekends.

[tonyav]

Ah right then mushroom, thanks for that. I will still be avoiding it though if possible.

[TWR]

Gromit, for your information, HGVs comp will NOT PAY the cost "Why" the next time you pull on the services have a look at the Tax Disk on a HGV, ask the driver how much the Double Derv Tank holds, then ask him . Her how far the truck goes per gallon, The reason HGVs do not use the Toll ( I think they should) Cost, that sums it up. Tony, as you know living in the area & often using this "OUT DATED ROAD" It was never intended to use this volume of traffic, It annoys me when the life line of the country get kicked by people that do not know the ins & outs, I refer to the HGVs, the only job in the UK where you could get fined for been One minute over your driving time

[mikey4444]

I'm trying to remember what party was in power when this privately-owned Motorway was first planned and opened. I'm sure it was the same party that presided over the building of the new Severn Bridge, which now costs £6.20 to go over and enter Wales.

Can anybody help out with who was responsible ? Its on the tip of my tongue !

[tonyav]

Your right TWR the M6 especially in my area was never built to carry the volume of traffic that it does these days.

[TWR]

Gromit, get your act together, BAN ALL HGVs off the motorways, Ban Buses, would you still be stuck in the outside lane? Get a petion started.

[TWR]

Just to add, on your motorway journey's around the UK, just see how many foreign HGVs are on the roads & pay Feck all, that's how stupid the system is, ask Baldric how HGVs use the (M2) from Dover, that come in from Europe on a daily basis.

[mushroom25]

more information here - seems that this scheme hasn't been fully reported by the BBC.
http://www.rha.uk.net/campaigning/press_releases/content/15793/m6_toll_free_for_rha_members_during_july
seems that only RHA members who do not already have an M6Toll account will be eligible to participate, the idea being to show these hauliers "if (the toll road) suits their business".

[youngmafbog]

All freight should be on the rail network. Cost it so that it pays. All Foreign trucks should pay a Toll on our roads as they enter the country. They don't even fill up with Derv in the UK (most of them) but we have to pay the tolls in their country.

Trucks damage the roads, cars do not.

[mushroom25]

//All freight should be on the rail network//
it doesn't matter how you cost the transport industry to make that happen, it is currently impossible because there just aren't any more train paths on key sections of the rail network.

[mikey4444]

ymb...I like the idea of more freight being on choo-choos but this isn't the 1950's. How will freight get to places that no longer have rail access, like parts of Wales and the West Country ?

We can't turn the clock back I'm afraid !

[Gromit]

TWR

Don't ban buses. One bus takes 20 - 30 cars off the road. In fact, it would make more sense to make the toll road free for buses and coaches.

[Gromit]

This decission has nothing to do with eleviation congestion or helping business. It is a private company trying to bulid up trade. They built a road but have not got the expected usage and payback on it. So they are just trying to drum up trade. HGV operators have shunned the road but car drivers haven't taken it up in the numbers expected either. So the road is under used. Free for a month is just them offering a taster, hoping some will take it up after the trial.

// In August 2003 freight operators indicated that they planned to keep their vehicles on the heavily congested M6 through Birmingham rather than send them on the new motorway due to high fees. The AA Motoring Trust said it welcomed the decision to make lorries pay a premium rate explaining that “Car drivers find lorries intimidating and they frequently hold up traffic on motorways when overtaking each other. //

[TWR]

Does that mean every house in the UK will have a rail terminal to their front door to del the Goods Mushroom? The Cement comp I used to drive for Knocked the rail off a few years ago because the loads were shunted into a siding & not where it should have been, E.Stobart has a rail Link from Crick Northant''s the link diverts the trailer's up to Scotland ( But at a cost)

[mushroom25]

TWR, I don't recall advocating that all freight should go by rail - I just pointed out to YMB how impossible this would be, even if it was desirable.

95% of all freight goes by road and that won't change any time soon, unless or until the UK (collectively - government, transport agencies, big business, etc) totally rethinks the way logistics is organised in this country.

[sunny-dave]

Going back to the original post - what a mad idea.

I feel like starting a petition/facebook campaign for other traffic (especially motorbikes) to boycott the toll road for the whole of July.

I cough up my £3 or so for a safe/pleasant way to avoid the ghastliness of the old M6 when I want to head northwest on the bike.

The concept that I'll be surrounded by a load of free-loading HGVs playing their stupid "elephant racing" games is just ridiculous .

[BRIGHT SPARK]

The pricing defies logic......it costs the same for a Transit van as for a 32 ton truck...can anyone explain why.