While the Welsh Assembly considers the implications of a toll road parallel to the M4, it would be very wise for it to consider MPs' concerns about the country's first pay-as-you-go motorway.
This December sees the five-year anniversary of the M6 Toll Road, designed to give relief to the M6 between junctions 11 and 4. Latest traffic figures from the road's owners, Midland Expressway (MEL), show that between April and June, there were around 42,000 vehicles using the road each day 13.2%
less than in the same period in 2007 and around 10% less than in 2006.
This decline has prompted independent credit rating company Standard and Poor's to downgrade the "long-term debt rating" for MEL's parent company, Macquarie Motorways Group.
Primary credit analyst Beata Sperling explains: "The downgrade reflects the increased refinancing risk of the term loans resulting from the project's weaker-than-expected traffic revenues. The actual traffic use of the M6 toll road has been consistently lower than forecast by the original traffic adviser, Capita Symonds, in its low-case traffic scenario since the assignment of the ratings in 2006."
MEL has steadfastly refused to say how many lorries use the toll due to commercial sensitivity. But anecdotal evidence from hauliers about the road's lack of benefit shouldn't ignore wider concerns over the government handing almost total control to private operators.
A Transport Select Committee report into the toll
road's impact in 2005 highlighted the inability of the Highways Agency to monitor traffic flows, because MEL withholds essential traffic data from the Government.
MPs say this "undermines the ability of public authorities to plan comprehensive transport policy in the region," as well as on a national level. The report concludes: "If the government decides to pursue further private road tolls, we would urge that the transfer of power and barriers to proper scrutiny, evident in the case of the M6 toll road, are not repeated."
Back to the M4, the Freight Transport Association says it would welcome a toll road, but only if the benefits outweighed the cost: "Developers must learn the lessons of commercial traffic on the M6 toll road i.e there are not many using it," says Stephen Kelly, head of policy for Wales. "It has to be price affordable. If we are going to pay £5 for a toll road, we are going to want to see £6 benefit. We have good links with the Welsh Assembly Government," he concludes. "We are keeping a watching brief."
"I would never choose it just to save 10 minutes," says container subbie Mark Robinson. He would only consider it if he was carrying a time-sensitive delivery, but after being charged £35 by MEL for running on seven axles Robinson does his best to avoid it.
Robert Field, transport manager at Luton-based Peter Field Transport says: "It's just uneconomical. If the driver goes down there he will have to pay for it out of his own pocket." Field explains that most of the company's fleet runs early in the morning, thus avoiding peak time congestion on the M6.
However, Barry Proctor, for Stoke-based Barry Proctor Services, describes the road as "very, very handy". He says: "You save a lot of time. We have had toll tags from day one. It's very useful, but we were not happy with the price going up. If it went up any more we would have to look at it, certainly in terms of savings."
Supply chain management operator TDG says it does use the toll road, but only at the discretion of its transport planners: "It very much depends on the operation," explains a spokeswoman. "Some deliveries are time sensitive and the journeys are carried out when the roads are busy, so in these instances, we would use the road. Obviously, if we're moving freight about at night or during other periods when the roads are quieter, then we'll avoid the toll road."
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