The announcement by the Minister for Economy and Transport on Wednesday that motorists are “likely” to be allowed to use credit and debit cards to pay tolls on the Severn Bridges later this year is a victory for the tenacity and campaigning skills of Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member, Mike German and all those who have supported him in this endeavour.
He has been fighting for some time to ensure that motorists can use cards rather than cash when entering Wales and has finally seen some reward for his efforts. It has not been easy however. As the BBC report:
A working group has established that credit and debit cards can be accepted in principle.
It featured representatives from the Highways Agency, the Severn River Crossing (SRC), Welsh Assembly Government and the UK government, and presented its findings to the Highways Agency in October 2008.
Discussions have since taken place with banks and equipment suppliers.
But before cards can be introduced, UK legislation governing the crossings needs to be amended as it does not allow card payments.
A Highways Agency spokesperson for Wales said the agency was still waiting for confirmation of that change.
A spokesperson for the UK Department of Transport confirmed that the necessary change to UK law to enable card payments has not yet happened.
She said: “We’ve initiated the amendment but it’s not gone through the process yet.”
Mike German’s next campaign is to get the tolls abolished altogether The bridges will revert back to public ownership around 2016 and he believes that the Welsh Government is now in a prime position to push for a decision, reduce the tolls or take them away:
“The current situation is no longer sustainable. The bridges will have been paid for and here’s a great opportunity to boost the prosperity of Wales.”
“There was a study on the Humber Bridge in Yorkshire/Lincolnshire, where local authorities clubbed together to commission a report on the likely effects of toll abolition or reduction. The findings were clear: an enormous impact on job creation and a better, stronger regional economy would result from no tolls or reduced ones. The Welsh Government hasn’t got long until 2016 to present their own case.”
“Its bad news for Wales to pay an entry toll for business, commuters and for tourism. Even Gavin and Stacey had problem ‘paying the appropriate fee to enter the country’. As we have seen over the use of cards to pay tolls, it has taken far too long to get a change and the Welsh Government hasn’t got much time to collect the evidence and call for changes.”
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