"A Bridge Too Far?"

[redken1]

My wife and I visited my in-laws in Rhayadar (mid-Wales) on Boxing Day, travelling via the Severn Bridge in my small eco-friendly 1.25 cc diesel van, which is my only mode of transport excluding my bike of course. To my disbelief, the extortionate cost of the toll amounted to £11.50 and is set to rise again this Sunday (see below).

I for one will not be using the bridge again when visiting the in-laws in my van, taking the alternative route via Ross-on-Wye and Hereford. This route is about 23 miles longer and adds approximately 25-30 minutes to the journey time. It’s not so much about saving £9 – I just hate the feeling of being ripped off. I just wonder how many other road users avoid the bridge due to the cost of the toll?

Small goods vehicles and small buses will pay £12.10, a 60p increase, and heavy goods vehicles and buses will fork out £18.10, an increase of 90p.
Campaigners calling for the abolition of the toll have described the new prices as a "bitter pill to swallow" for motorists – who have already been hit by rising fuel prices.
Severn River Crossing (SRC), which operates the two bridges, confirmed the new prices would come into effect on New Year's Day.

Ps Would have taken the bike, but my wife will not ride pillion, unfortunately.

Happy New Year all

[Toph]

I agree, the toll is too expensive considering the amount motorists put into the gooberment's coffers through taxation.
Isn't the severn crossing owned by the French?? :-?
Just wondered.. how much is it to cross the old bridge?? is it cheaper?? :-?

[Green Man]

Just as well it’s free for bikes at the moment, it wont be to long before we have to pay :'( :'(

[Mark_Able]

Should be free to go to Wales. Charge the Welshies to come to England, that's my opinion... ;D

[wiltshire builders]

Just wondered.. how much is it to cross the old bridge?? is it cheaper?? :-?

Last time I used it the old bridge was cheaper.

Get this Ken, I crossed the bridge in my mates vw camper. Because it's got seats in the back £5.70. Crossed a few weeks later in my Vito van £11.50. Same size vehicle, same number of passengers yet over twice the price!

[Col]

;D ;D Totally unnecessary charges. Isn't it owned by a French firm or something ?

I used to do some work for a firm based in Wales and only went there if absolutely unavoidable in a car wouldn't bother these days ;D.

That's nothing it is about time something was done about the extortionate costs of P.F.I. for State buildings [Labour went mad on this lunacy] which adds to our tax burden. Talk about banker bonus payments as saw a Select Committee hearing being told by one bloke he was paid £8.2 million from the lucrative deals he was involved with...that'd be our money

[NoYou]

This is the same situation as a lot of thing, both tolls and parking charges etc. They're getting so high that lots of people refuse to use them, the prices then get higher to make the same money from less people. And it just keep spiraling into stupidity!
Even with the fuel prices it applys

Nobody seems to understand the idea of chargeing less to make more, charge people considerably les money and more people will use it, you then get more money in return due to the increased usage

[pilninggas]

Both bridges are the same price. They are owned by Severn Crossings PLC and [alledgedly] when the owners (partly french) have recouped their outlay on the cost of building the second bridge + a profit, the bridges will revert to public ownership (i bet the cost to cross will go up).

I grew up by the bridge (as was) and when the prices suddenly shot up, it really ripped up the area, lots of folk who lived in chepstow and the wye valley worked and had family in bristol + vice versa; it never recovered from that. The evasion going into wales is massive via the A48, A449 etc.

The welsh assembly hate it, as companies do not like investing in south wales due to it.

Incidentally the reason that charges are made going into wales, is to prevent traffic queuing from the old toll plaze onto the old bridge (as used to happen all of the time) as the old bridge is pretty poorly with extensive corrosion on the interior of the deck sections and to the cabling.

[Jon_W]

Tis a well known con! My mate got charged the van rate for his mini van.... smaller than most of the cars that were around!!!

[Julie_S]

Don't get me on that one. If we ever ventured over to Wales(used to live in Yate) to go to classic car shows in our 1951 Austin Devon pickup truck the kiosk staff steadfastly refused to let us through as a car, despite it obviously not being a commercial vehicle for at least 40 years of it's life ! If you have a longwheel base VW van as is de rigour at the mo you should be OK as they have windows, the windows (or lack of) were what defined a commerical vehicle. Imagine that would still hold true

In their defence (nothing to do with me working on the new Severn Bridge project for it's entire build..!!) they do have to pay for the upkeep of 2 bridges. Old Severn Bridge (before it passed to private hands) was always charged at less than it cost to run, don't remember any of us moaning about that. And none of us have to use it. As for the rate, well they know how much fuel costs now and I would imagine base what they can get away with on the cost of driving around the long way (plus a bit for the time for the lorries as drivers ain't cheap either) The bridge hasn't been snatched by the British crown to hold the Welsh to ransom, it is a private enterprise that was built to make a profit, and as we all know just making a profit isn't good enough for big buisness these days, they aren't happy unless making a big profit

I once drove at some speed over the new severn bridge on the wrong side of the road. It was all marked up and ready to go but not open, and being on my notice I didn't think it would matter if I got caught and sacked. Shame there were no GoPro cameras then