Memorandum by the Institution of Electrical
Engineers (IEE) (RP 04)
M6 TOLL ROAD
The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE)
is pleased to be able to respond to your invitation to submit
memoranda on the Transport Committee's request for evidence on
the M6 toll road.
IEE has a worldwide membership of around 125,000
professional engineers. These members represent a wide range of
engineering disciplines including the automotive and power industries.
We have an active Automotive and Road Transport Professional Network
and a newly established Transport Sector Panel, made up of experts
from the transport industry.
1. How effective has the existing M6 Toll
road been in tackling congestion on the M6, on the new toll road
and on the surrounding area?
No comment.
2. What impact has the M6 toll had on traffic
levels?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the toll road
has acted as a pressure release valve for the M6, however it appears
to have done little to ease local traffic congestion. The toll
road continues to operate well below its capacity even at peak
times.
3. Is a new "Expressway" preferable
to widening the existing road?
There is a general trend, not just in the UK
but world-wide (eg the US Federal Highway Administration), towards
replacing or augmenting fuel taxes by "more demand-based"
charges. In this context the proposed M6 expressway study is very
timely, and deserves serious investigation—provided the
option of widening the M6 receives equally detailed study, for
comparative purposes. The study should also address, at least
in outline, the implications of expressways alongside other motorways
in the UK—as opposed to widening them (ie there is a better
case for the M6 expressway if it is a pathfinder for additional
expressways, even though they may not be built for many years).
An alternative could be "toll truckways"
which are dedicated lanes for heavy trucks on motorways, separated
from car lanes by concrete barriers, and with their own "on"
and "off" ramps. Such lanes remove the conflicts between
cars and trucks and improve the productivity of long-haul trucks
by taking them out of congested car lanes. They also reduce the
cost of road maintenance. Only the toll truckways need to be built
to take heavy vehicles (a 2-tonne truck does 16 times as much
damage to the road surface as a 1-tonne truck). Car lanes would
be cheaper to construct and would last much longer.
Studies in the US have shown that such toll
truckways can be economically viable and we suggest should be
included in any M6 toll expressway study. Other HGV traffic management
schemes operate in other European countries, that may ameliorate
some congestion, for example restricting the use of motorways
at particular times.
4. Is this the most cost effective and environmentally
effective solution?
The study should also cover the technology options
for tolling, especially dedicated short range communication (DSRC),
variable speed limits, satellite-based technology and camera-based
technology (and perhaps newer electronic technologies also eg
3G cellular, Wi-Fi), and their implications for reducing land-take
and general environmental impact.
Paragraph 10 of the DfT document points out
that "One aspect we shall want to consider carefully is the
extent to which constructing a new route—close to but not
necessarily adjoining the M6 could provide opportunities for reducing
environmental impact, compared with the constraints of widening
the existing route". Equally, there is the possibility of
increasing the environmental impact, and that aspect deserves
equal weight in the study.
5. Have there been any unforeseen impacts
of the existing M6 Toll?
No comment.
Dr Nicholas Moiseiwitsch
Head of Engineering Policy Department
September 2004
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