Warburton Toll Bridge

[Dizzy]

You can hardly compare the M6 with a little road in Warburtion Baz

 

Do they charge people on motorbikes to cross the Warburton Bridge... must be hard for bikers to get 12p out of their pockets if they do

[inky pete]

The real problems start when the traffic backs up from the toll booths and starts blocking other routes. It is frequently impossible to get to or use Paddock Lane because of the toll booth queue, and often both the A57 and A6144 are severely impacted.

 

If one toll booth isn't enough to prevent lengthy queues then Peel should install two, if that still isn't sufficient for peak loads then they need three. If the company cannot, or will not, find ways of collecting the tolls fast enough to avoid queues causing an obstruction on public sections of the highways then they should be compelled to remove the obstruction.

 

As others have said, I've no problem with the toll itself - just with the excessive delays and blockage of other routes which the current system of collecting it causes.

[Cabriolet]

Well said Pete

[indy]

its well overdue to remove it !! if it dosent happen on other Bridges i.e. Cantilever, a duplicate design of Warburton Bridge then why persist with the Toll on Warburton Bridge ... It would only take seven days or so of drivers simply refusing to cross it for peel to think sh*t this is a waste of time..... maybe forum members should club together and build their own bridge ..... and issue a simple yearly pass at say ?36 for a whole year, (1p a day ) With todays technology cars could pass through in seconds without the need to stop at all, or simply scrap any fees ...

[inky pete]

Unfortunately it would take an Act of Parliament to abolish the toll and deprive the toll-owners of the right to collect it.

 

It be far simpler for WBC to make Peel an offer to BUY the toll rights from them and then just dismantle the barriers.

 

Quite a bit cheaper than building a new bridge too - especially since that one is going to be a toll bottleneck as well!

 

Peel would still have to maintain - and eventually replace - the steel bridge over the ship canal. As has been noted, that bridge has nothing at all to do with the small stone bridge for which the toll is levied. The ship canal owners retain in perpetuity their responsibility for maintaining all of the crossings which were public rights of way prior to the digging of the canal.

[observer]

Can't they introduce electronic recognition and charging = no queues?

[Dizzy]

Good idea Obs although it may increase the number of number plate thefts

[inky pete]

They would have to widen the toll booth area and its approaches. Otherwise people who had signed up to some kind of SmartPay system would still just be stuck behind people digging through purses and pockets for change.

 

It amazes me how many people can sit in the queue for half an hour and STILL not have their money ready when they reach the window!