Customer Consultation 2020
As part of a new Order to deal with the opening of the Silver Jubilee Bridge we are asking for feedback on a customer survey for 3 week period from 23rd Sept to 14th Oct. We are not asking for views on tolling but on the new configuration.
You can access the Survey here and thanks in advance for your time.
Baby born on Mersey Gateway bridge
A baby girl has been born nearly three months premature as her mum crossed the River Mersey.
Baby Opal was born in an ambulance on the Mersey Gateway Bridge, as her parents were en-route to hospital.
They have been reunited with one of the paramedics who delivered her.
Watch the ITV Granada News report here
https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2020-07-30/victoria-grimes-baby-born-on-mersey-gateway-bridge
Bridge crossings back on the rise following Covid-19 impact on Mersey Gateway journey numbers
The latest Mersey Gateway figures show that people are starting to resume normal travel patterns following the Covid-19 lockdown.
The lockdown period saw journey numbers fall to the lowest levels recorded since the bridge opened.
Journey numbers have been steadily increasing every week as lockdown eases, with a daily average of 45,000 journeys recorded in the last week of June.
The figures also show that April was the least busy month recorded for the bridge since it first opened in October 2017.
The detailed figures, which are presented in the quarterly Mersey Gateway dashboard and cover April – June 2020, show:
- Journey numbers are increasing weekly as lockdown ends – by the end of June weekly traffic levels were at around 70% of normal traffic levels
- April was the quietest month across the bridge – but there were still 730,000 journeys made between Runcorn and Widnes
- Over 98% of all crossings were paid for on time – a record high of 98.15% in total, though this is partly due to lower traffic levels and a greater percentage of crossings being made by registered customers
The number of PCNs and income from PCNs also dropped significantly. PCNs were still issued during lockdown when people did not pay, but most enforcement activity was paused.
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “We are pleased to see journey numbers on the rise after lockdown and the highest number of crossings paid for on time. However, we do recognise that this will be due to the fact that most journeys were made by registered customers during April and May, when only essential travel was advised.”
The merseyflow quick pay app, which is available for Apple and Android devices, has been downloaded over 39,000 times since it was launched in November. An average of 550 – 650 crossing payments are made using the app every day, with June seeing the highest number of payments being made via the app (over 16,000 in total).
In the next few weeks, the app will be updated to take on board customer feedback. This includes the option for customers to save their payment details for even quicker transactions and to make the use of the Quick Pay App even more convenient.
Neil added: “It’s great to see so many people downloading and using the app as lockdown eases. I recommend that anyone who is paying for individual crossings downloads and uses the merseyflow quick pay app as it is the quickest and easiest way to pay for individual journeys.”
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “It’s unsurprising that April showed the lowest number of traffic levels recorded, however I am glad to see the numbers slowly but surely increasing on a week by week basis. I think these figures reflect the relaxing of lockdown, and we expect the traffic levels to continue rising throughout the summer.”
He added: “It’s always worth reminding people that anyone who uses the bridge regularly can register with merseyflow and save up to 10% on each journey you make.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, number of PCNs issued, payments made on time, total revenue and what percentage of this comes from PCNs.
The Dashboard can be viewed here
MGCB Service Update
The week ending 17 May was the busiest for
traffic across the Mersey Gateway Bridge since the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown
began back in March. An extra 45,000 vehicles crossed the bridge compared to
the previous week.
New data shows that the traffic level at the
height of the lockdown was less than a third of the typical pre-lockdown number
of vehicles flowing across the bridge between Runcorn and Widnes.
However, whilst the past week has been the
busiest since 16 March, overall traffic is still at less than half of
pre-lockdown levels.
Traffic has dropped across all vehicle
classes, though the new figures shared by bridge operator merseyflow do show
how traffic patterns have varied across different vehicle types over the past
two months.
- The quietest week was week commencing 6th
April when just 154,000 vehicles crossed the Mersey, compared to a typical
pre-lockdown average of almost 500,000 journeys. - Class 4 vehicles – HGVs and other large
vehicles – went from around 7% of daily traffic up to 13% of daily traffic at
the height of the lockdown, before reducing back to their current figure of 10%. - Halton residents, Blue Badge holders and
registered customers have all significantly reduced travel as a result of the
lockdown. - Motorcyclists have taken advantage of the
lockdown easing and better weather, with the past week showing the highest
number of motorcyclists crossing the bridge in a single week for several months - The number of PCNs issued reduced
significantly and payment on time rates remained high at almost 98% during
April and May. - A growing percentage of people paying for
their journeys using the merseyflow quick pay app, which has now been downloaded
over 26,000 times since it was launched last November.
A number of new features for the app are now
being tested and will be ready for roll-out within the next few weeks.
Tolls/charges remain in force on the bridge,
despite a number of urgent requests from Halton Borough Council, which have
been supported by merseyflow, to the UK Government to temporarily waive
tolls/charges during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK Government has not agreed to this
request as it has maintained its stance that continuation of tolling/charging
on crossings is a matter that has to be considered in a national context.
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow,
said: “These figures show just how much people across the north west have
reduced their travel during the lockdown. They will also act as a guide to how
much things are slowly getting ‘back to normal’ in terms of behaviour patterns
as the lockdown gradually eases. We’ve just finished the first week of things
being more relaxed, but it is clear that less people are staying at home as
there was an extra 45,000 journeys made last week.”
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey
Gateway Crossings Board, said: “I think these figures show how responsible
people have been over the past two months in minimising non-essential journeys.
It also shows how the changing message from Government since 11th
May has certainly had an impact on traffic activity levels here in the north
west.”
PCN numbers continue to fall year-on-year as Covid-19 impacts on Mersey Gateway traffic numbers
The latest Mersey Gateway figures show how people are heeding Government guidance and cutting out non-essential travel since the lockdown began on 23 March.
They also show a continuing year-on-year reduction in the number of PCNs issued (a 14% drop) and the income received from PCNs (a 20% drop).
These are like-for-like comparisons as the cut-off date of the end of March would be too early to reflect any impact of Covid-19 on the number of PCNs issued and customers paying.
The detailed figures, which are presented in the quarterly Mersey Gateway dashboard and cover January – March 2020, show:
- Covid-19 lockdown impact starting to show in journey figures traffic levels in March 2020 were at their lowest since the bridge opened as people followed Government guidance to only undertake essential travel.
- A 14% reduction in the number of PCNs issued compared to the same period last year (meaning 24,000 fewer PCNs were issued), which means more people are paying on time for their crossing.
- Record high traffic levels for January and February – before the lockdown began traffic levels for January and February were at their highest ever.
- Over 97% of journeys were paid for on time (either through their account or by midnight the day after crossing).
- Income from PCNs was down 20% when compared to the same period in 2019.
The merseyflow quick pay app, which is now available for iPhones and Android phones, has been downloaded over 25,000 times since it was launched, and is now the second most popular method of payment (after the merseyflow website). A number of new features for the app are now being tested and will be ready for roll-out within the next few weeks.
Tolls/charges remain in force on the bridge, despite a number of urgent requests from Halton Borough Council, which have been supported by merseyflow, to the UK Government to temporarily waive tolls/charges during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK Government has not agreed to this request as it has maintained its stance that continuation of tolling/charging on crossings is a matter that has to be considered in a national context.
Whilst it is unclear how long the lockdown will last, the next quarterly dashboard – due in July – will show some significant changes as people minimise non-essential travel, including:
- a huge drop in traffic volume – journeys in April have dropped significantly, with weekday traffic volume running at just 35% of the pre-lockdown numbers
- a significant reduction in the number of PCNs issued
- a significant reduction in income from tolls/charges and PCNs.
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “The world has changed significantly in the past month, and the January to March figures are just starting to tell that story. Our message to everyone is to stay safe and only travel if it is essential in line with the latest Government guidance. I’d also recommend that anyone who is paying for individual crossings downloads and uses the merseyflow quick pay app as it is the quickest and easiest way to pay for individual journeys.”
He added: “We’re very supportive of the stance Halton Borough Council and the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board have taken by asking the Government to temporarily waive tolls/charges at this stage of the Covid-19 pandemic and will continue to support them with that.”
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “We’re continuing to work with Halton Borough Council’s leadership team to demonstrate to Government why tolls/charges should be temporarily waived at this stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. These quarterly figures, and those from the first two weeks of April, show that people here are doing their bit by cutting out essential travel.”
He added: “Whilst toll/charges are still operational, it is really important that people pay for their journeys. I would encourage anyone who uses the bridge regularly to register with merseyflow and get a discount on their crossings.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, number of PCNs issued, payments made on time, total revenue and what percentage of this comes from PCNs.The dashboard can be viewed at www.merseyflow.co.uk/stats
