Goods vehicles are exempt from the recent toll increase on the Midlands Expressway.

The weekday toll charge on the M6 increased by 40p for cars on 7 August. Midland Expressway said the rise is the first since March 2012 and is a partial catch-up with inflation. The operator says it wants to encourage more commercial, logistic and freight use of the route, which has grown annually by an average 19% in the past five years, so charges for goods vehicles will remain the same.

Malcolm Bingham, Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Head of Road Network Management Policy, said, “This is very welcome news for our members, as any increase in toll charges has a direct impact on their businesses. FTA wants to maintain dialogue with Midland Expressway to ensure an acceptable level of toll for freight operators is maintained, as this will make the route financially viable when the M6 is congested.”

The FTA regularly consults its members on road charging and has created a road tolling charter which has been presented to the UK government. The Association says charging across the country should be harmonised to prevent the need for different tags for various routes and crossings. It also calls for charges to be first invested in the route to which they apply, to guarantee a high standard of road condition and provision of services.

The charter can be seen in full here: http://bit.ly/2tnT6L1

Photo: FTA's Malcolm Bingham.