The number of drivers using the M6 Toll has plummeted by almost 10 per cent in the first three months of 2008.
About 4,000 fewer drivers per day used the motorway between January and March, compared to the same period in 2007.
An average of 42,243 drivers a day took to the motorway in the first three months of last year, while 38,050 a day chose to use the route between January and March 2008, a drop of 4,193 motorists or 9.9 per cent per day, figures released by operator Midland Expressway revealed.
Price increases on the toll road, which were brought in at the beginning of this year, mean that cars now pay £4.50 to use the road at peak times, with vans and heavy goods vehicles having to shell out £9 between the hours of 6am and 11pm.
But the company has put the dwindling user figures down to the fact that there were fewer working days during the three-month period at the beginning of 2008 than during the same period last year.
The March quarter of this year had three extra non-workdays as well as two fewer workdays compared to the corresponding quarter of 2007, it pointed out.And according to Midland Expressway, the early timing of the Easter holiday period and associated school holidays has had a negative impact on traffic using on the M6 Toll route.
This year, Easter fell during the third week of March, and the school holiday began the following week. During 2007, both fell in April and did not impact on M6 Toll traffic during the March quarter.
The firm also said roadworks on the southbound lanes of the competing M6 near junction 8 during the first part of last year saw more drivers opting to use the toll road between January and March 2007.
Midland Expressway’s chief executive Tom Fanning said: “We do not believe that the price increase has had a detrimental effect on traffic.
“Traffic has been affected by the early fall of Easter this year and as a consequence a lower number of workdays. This situation was expected and we anticipate an increase throughout the year as in other years.”
By Kerry McDermott
10 Comments
It’s too expensive,that’s why.
To expensive,to high fuel costs.
But the goverment dont give a rats ass because they dont have wages that they have to struggle on!!
It isn’t rocket science, well to us lot anyway.
You can’t expect people in the government to work that out, they have to get there PA to remind them what there name is, so this is way above there intellect
Dont use it why should you pay for this road? its a disgrace boycott it them let them massage the figures, let them blind themselves with 3 working days less stats……..
this government is a disgrace.
dont worry the tax man will help them out
Good I hope all motorists stop using it, we pay enough taxes without paying extra to use a road that was only built for a company to make a profit out of, the sooner it fall to a zero usage the better
while the toll road continues to price motorists out of using it the figures will continue to fall. and who’s the muppet that decided that ‘peak hours’ last for 17 hours? thank god they dont run the buses and the trains on that basis. its yet another example of this country not giving a damn about the everyday working person.
If they had not been so greedy on the price maybe the figures would not of gone down.
Its simple maths at the end of the day.
Price goes up = users go down.
Price goes down = users go up.
If they dropped the price by just £1 i bet a lot more people would use the road, therfore bringing mor emoney in…. when will these bozo’s realise that.
Those “bozo’s” aren’t as stupid as you think.
42243 car per day at £4, drops to 38050 cars at £4.50 = Rise in revenue of 1.3%, and the people who can afford to use it will stay loyal, as it is always nice and quiet and quick.