Consultation starts on Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry toll rise

People in Devon and Cornwall may soon have to pay more to use the Tamar Bridge or Torpoint Ferry.

A consultation is underway looking at whether tolls to cross should go up by 30 per cent.

That equates to a rise from £2 to £2.60 for cash users and from £1 to £1.30 for discounted tags.

Around 18 million vehicles use the crossings every year but bosses say finances have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Councillor Martin Worth, who is Joint Chair of Tamar Crossings and leading the consultation, said:"We hope we can find as many routes as possible to support the finances of the bridge.

"We did a couple of rounds last year in Government to ask Ministers to provide funding for us to support the important crossings of the ferry and the bridge."

If the changes are adopted, the discounted tag rates should apply early in 2022, but the cash increase would not take effect until January 2023.

"It's required because we have to provide that funding buffer, our reserve, to protect the safety and maintenance of the bridge," Cllr Worth added.

The consultation was launched yesterday (13 January) and is open until 14 February.