APPENDIX 1
A SNAPSHOT OF
THE M6 TOLL
The M6 Toll is a 27-mile tolled motorway that
provides an alternative route to the M6 through the West Midlands.
It is the first tolled motorway in the United Kingdom. The M6
Toll cost approximately £900 million to build. The required
finance was raised privately and will be repaid over time from
toll revenues. Midland Expressway Limited (MEL), the operator
of the M6 Toll, receives no public subsidy. The M6 Toll has become
an integral part of the regional and national road network, and
MEL works closely with the Highways Agency, the Police and other
transport authorities in managing and maintaining the road.
Traffic growth since opening
The M6 Toll opened over a period of five days
from 9 December 2003. Since opening, the road has experienced
continued robust traffic growth, as the following table indicates:
| Category | Jan 04
| Feb 04 | Mar 04
| Apr 04 | May 04
| Jun 04 | Jul 04
| Aug 04 |
| Workdays | 32,763 | 40,304
| 41,880 | 47,247 | 46,924
| 50,414 | 58,340 | 56,855
|
| Weekends/Public hols | 26,249
| 30,648 | 33,120 | 39,575
| 36,436 | 41,311 | 47,896
| 52,225 |
| All days | 30,662 | 37,308
| 39,620 | 44,689 | 42,862
| 47,986 | 55,308 | 55,362
|
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Toll categories and pricing
M6 Toll classifies vehicles into five main categories for
tolling. All tolls include VAT (which businesses are generally
able to claim back). On opening the M6 Toll, MEL offered an introductory
discount for all vehicles up until the 10 millionth journey on
the road. This milestone was reached on 16 August this year. On
23 July 2004, following extensive dialogue with the haulage industry
a trial period discount offer was introduced for heavy goods vehicles
(HGVs), to encourage more HGVs to use the M6 Toll. MEL took the
opportunity to introduce the discount during a period of roadworks
on the M6, further alleviating congestion in the region. The following
table provides an overview of the current pricing structure for
the M6 Toll:
| Guide | Day (06:00-23:00)
| Night (23:00-0:600) |
| Class 1 (eg motorbike) | £2
| £1 |
| Class 2 (eg car) | £3 |
£2 |
| Class 3 (eg car with trailer) | £6
| £5 |
| Class 4 (eg van/coach) | £6
| £5 |
| Class 5 (eg HGV* special offer) | £6
| £5 |
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* special offer valid until 31 December 2004.
Methods of payment
Tolls are collected from drivers on exiting the road and
can be paid by cash or credit card, or by using a pre-purchased
electronic TAG which enables payment by account. TAGs provide
ease and convenience and have proved particularly popular with
commuters and commercial vehicle fleets.
Why customers choose to use the M6 Toll
MEL's approach is to deliver a premium product in comparison
to the alternative M6, and it has therefore adopted a strong customer
focus. This approach is key to attracting paying customers to
use the road—ie the toll paid must represent value for money.
A survey of M6 Toll customers taken in July 2004 reflected this
approach, providing insight into customer's attitudes towards
the road. More than 20% of customers responded to the survey,
a very high response rate. Customers were asked to nominate their
reasons for choosing to use the toll road. The most common reasons
noted were "save time" and "avoid heavy traffic",
with "make trip more predictable" also frequently selected.
Factors other than time saving became more important for long
distance trips. Business-related travel was the most common reason
nominated, with local work-place travel also rating highly followed
by visiting family/friends.
Impact on traffic levels and congestion in the region
The following graphs are taken from the M6 Toll Traffic Monitoring
Study, issued by the Highways Agency in July 2004,[40]
and further demonstrate the impact on traffic in the region:
Raising public awareness
As the first tolled motorway in the UK, the M6 Toll introduced
a new concept which required a change of thinking and behaviour
from motorists. MEL therefore focused significant time and resources
on providing straightforward, accurate and timely information
to the public to ensure the new service was well understood, with
safety being a key priority. An extensive media and advertising
campaign was undertaken to reach the widest possible audience.
The campaign focused on three stages ensuring significant notice
was given to potential users and other stakeholders:
1. Announcement of pricing (6 May 2003).
2. Pre-launch including location and access, how to pay
and details of the phased opening (18 November 2003).
3. Final launch (9 December 2003).
The communications programme was highly successful, resulting
in substantial media coverage from both national and regional
TV, radio and print media, record volumes of calls to MEL's call
centre and a 20-fold increase in site traffic to the M6 Toll website
(www.m6toll.co.uk).
40
hhp://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/motorways/m6/m6_toll/m6_toll_first3months/pdfs/m6toll_traffic_study.pdf Back
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