Ineffective toll road having a cost on the environment and people's pockets
The M6 toll road is seeing increased fees for HGV drivers of twice the level of inflation, despite already being underused, according to the latest figures released. For the quarter from October to December 2009, use of the Midland Expressway on weekdays dropped by 2.3% compared to the same period in 2008. Although weekend use rose slightly by 0.4%, the overall effect was a drop in use of 1.7%.
Although this represents a smaller reduction in use than in the June (4.9% reduction) and September (2.7% reduction) quarters, it still demonstrates that the toll road, intended to reduce traffic congestion on the over-burdened M6 around Birmingham, is not as effective as it could be.
A correctly priced toll road should attract an optimum level of users - the price should be balanced: if the price is too low, then too many drivers will use the toll road instead of the free road and the toll road will itself become too congested, making drivers reluctant to pay for the privilege of using it; if the price is too high, the toll road will attract only a fraction of the vehicles it is meant to accommodate, and will not remove enough traffic from the free road.
Having used the toll road myself, I have found it to be almost empty while the free M6 is at a standstill. As someone who uses the road only intermittently, I find it to be worth my while to pay the fee in order to make my journey shorter and easier. However, for those using the road regularly, and on business, it seems that the fees are simply too high, and the latest increase of twice the level of inflation certainly seems excessive considering the fact that the road is already under-used.
While from an individual viewpoint, I am happy that the road is underused, since it makes my journeys even easier, the point of the road is to allow drivers making essential journeys choose a quicker and therefore more environmentally friendly option for a reasonable price, ensuring fuel savings for UK businesses and consumers. At present the road seems to be failing in this aim.
