Toll cash would be better spent on public transport

THE M6 toll road may well be a white elephant but the Government buying it, as Harry Harrison wants, would be a huge waste of money.

Even if every single car that could use the toll actually did, the M6 in Birmingham and the Black Country would remain chronically congested because the overwhelming majority of traffic on the M6 is accessing the West Midlands, not going round it.

Any small benefit would be lost in a couple of years as the M6 returned to the equilibrium of traffic, basically a balance between the traffic that can use it and the traffic that wants to use it.

Buying it back would require Government legislation and the costs would be in the hundreds of millions, perhaps even a billion pounds.

That money would be far better spent on important transport projects the region can't currently afford, for example, new metro lines and reopening rail lines into the Black Country.

The one thing that would make a difference would be reducing the toll on lorries.

During the year-long public inquiry we argued the toll rate for lorries should be pegged because the toll company would favour cars.

We were not backed by the hauliers at the time.

Unfortunately the concession prohibits changing that and all we can do is keep up the pressure on the toll company.

Unfortunately they have little reason to listen.

Gerald Kells, Former Chair of the Alliance Against the BNRR. Via email.