Business as usual on Mersey Gateway despite decision by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal
The Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) has made a public statement on the TPT website with regard to a decision by one of its adjudicators in respect of an appeal against a Penalty Notice issued by Merseyflow.
This case is being described as C vs Halton Borough Council.
After taking independent legal advice the Council and Mersey Gateway Crossings Board Ltd strongly dispute this decision made by the TPT.
The Council are following due process and will rigorously dispute the adjudicator’s decision.
Given this is a live case it is inappropriate to go into the detail of the particular case. However, we are advised by our independent legal advisors, who are specialists in this field, that the current Road User Charging Scheme Order (which is based on the Orders originally agreed by the Department for Transport) is legally sound.
Its business as usual on Mersey Gateway and motorists should continue to pay tolls to cross Mersey Gateway. Those who fail to do so will still face the risk of a Penalty Notice.
Since the new bridge opened to traffic in October, over 10 million vehicles have crossed the bridge with drivers benefiting from its quicker, easier and more reliable journeys.
Over this time, the Council and the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board has received a number of comments and observations in respect of its operation, the Tolling Orders and the tolling regime.
We’ve already made plans to update the Road User Charging Order to address these observations and to clarify matters surrounding the tolling regime that some (including TPT) feel are not clear. We are also proposing that even more users can benefit from the new crossing with unlimited trips and exemptions.
A consultation to gather views about these proposed changes recently took place and the findings of the consultation will be published shortly.
