A heated open meeting held last month discussing the Tamar tolls shows that the campaign to abolish the crossings’ charge is not slowing down anytime soon.

This comes as a public consultation has ended that was set up by Cornwall Council giving people a chance to give their views on the crossing charges.

More than 70 people attended the public meeting held by the Tamar Toll Action Group (TTAG) on October 18 which saw discussions held about the Tamar Crossings’ consultation and proposed toll increase.

The meeting started with a short presentation by Dr Mel Priston (Chair) and Mr Scott Slavin (Vice-Chair) introducing TTAG and why the Action Group is campaigning for the abolition of tolls on the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry. They summarised the reasons why the Tamar Crossings are unique and deserve central government funding, highlighting the reliance on the crossings for healthcare provision, employment, education and leisure, and pointing out that there is no practical alternative, unlike the other tolled crossings of the UK. They stressed that the ‘user pays’ principle ‘disproportionately affects a population recognised to have higher levels of deprivation.’ The presentation finished with an analysis of the Tamar toll history, concluding that ‘since 1992, tolls have increased by 550% for the bridge and 225% for the ferry.’

A panel comprising Cornwall Councillor Martin Worth (Co-Chair of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee), Cornwall Councillor Armand Toms (member of the Joint Committee and councillor representing Looe) and Cornwall Councillor Colin Martin (representing Lostwithiel & Lanreath) then took questions from TTAG members for over an hour, encompassing a wide range of topics, including the Tamar Bridge Act and how to challenge it; Central Government funding; the Joint Committee and the long term plan; Tamar Crossings costs; Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to reduce traffic and pollution; and the current public consultation.

The meeting was heated at times, demonstrating the depth of anger felt by the public towards another toll increase so soon after the last one.

TTAG’s stated that the group’s position is clear and said: “We feel strongly that the consultation results should be disregarded and a fairer set of options for local users be put forward instead.

“We believe that the ‘user pays’ principle is no longer sustainable, particularly as green travel increases. We appreciate that a change in the Tamar Bridge Act will be a long and complex process. In the meantime, every effort should be made to make tolls fairer for regular users as we have two critical East/West transport links that have no viable alternative route and a population that desperately needs central funding for them as running costs continue to spiral.”

For more information visit: www.tamartollactiongroup.org/