Drivers face higher charges to use M6 Toll
MOTORISTS are set to be charged more for using Britain’s only pay-as-you-drive motorway, the M6 Toll.
Operator Midland Expressway has announced that from March 1 a revised set of charges will apply to the 27-mile route – the sixth rise in seven years.
Car drivers face an additional charge of 30p taking the levy up to £5, while heavy goods vehicles will see double this as prices rise by 60p to £10.
MEL said the toll changes were restricted to main toll plaza weekday rates and are inclusive of the new VAT rates as introduced in January.
However, the company has said that prices between the hours of 11pm and 6am will be frozen as will weekend rates. An incentive for motorists to sign up to an electronic tag scheme offers a 5% discount.
The £900m motorway, which stretches between Cannock and Coleshill, was opened to relieve congestion on the busy M6 through the Birmingham conurbation.
Tom Fanning, MEL chief executive, said “The M6 Toll opened in late 2003, and still remains the most reliable route through the West Midlands.
“The announced 2010 tolling programme will allow further investment in delivering an excellent driving experience for the reliable journey on which our customers depend.”
The route remained excellent value for money for drivers looking to avoid the congested M6, he added.
Latest figures show that the average daily traffic volumes for the period October and December 2009 were 38,607 – down 1.7% on the corresponding period in 2008.
The operator has blamed the decline on the weak economy.
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