PROTESTERS are calling for a public inquiry into increased charges on Whitchurch toll bridge.
Crowds gathered at the bridge between Pangbourne and Whitchurch on Friday to hand out leaflets opposing the proposed doubling of the toll.
Reading West MP Martin Salter showed his support for the campaign by joining the early morning protest.
He said: “There was a fantastic turnout from local people and I was impressed with their determination to fight this unjustified hike.
“For the authorities to double the toll in the current financial situation is both irresponsible and greedy.”
Whitchurch Bridge Company plans to increase the toll on the Grade II-listed bridge from 20p to 40p.The increase would fund a £3million reconstruction of the 106-year-old structure.
Daily return journeys over the bridge would cost £292 a year, or £101 for regular bridge-users with a discount card.
Colin Cooper, 48, of Whitchurch Hill, and Phil Lewis, 36, of Whitchurch-on-Thames set up a website, Tollfreeze.com, calling for the public to fight a toll increase.
Mr Cooper said: “The bridge company tells us the work needs doing but it has had more than 100 years to get the funds together.
“This is topsy-turvy economics. If there is a need for a new bridge, the company should fund it in the first place and then get the people who use the new bridge to pay for it.
“The Channel Tunnel was not paid for from cross-channel ferry fares, or the M6 toll road by a charge for using the old M6. We want a public inquiry, not just into the level of the toll but into whether this is the best way to pay for maintenance of the bridge.”
Mr Lewis, whose two children, Gail, nine and Jamie, six, go to Whitchurch Primary school, said the website was popular in the village. “We are getting a lot of hits and a lot of people feel the same way,” he said.
Henley MP John Howell said: “I think local residents have every right to be concerned about a doubling of the tolls on this bridge.
“No one wants to see this route turned into the Caversham bypass but there are some real questions to be asked about how the bridge repairs are funded and whether a toll bridge is still appropriate in this day and age.
“I will be asking the Transport Secretary to ensure we can have a full debate about this at any public inquiry and that we are not limited only to discussing the tolls themselves.”
Geoff Weir, company secretary for the Whitchuch Bridge Company, said the higher toll was necessary to cover increased building costs, taking into account inflation and a decrease in bridge traffic.
He said: “The protest made no obstruction on the bridge and we have no problem with them making a statement.
“The process is quite clear and managed by the Department of Transport. Whatever happens will be determined on the facts alone.”
Objections must be made by Sunday. Letters can be sent to: Secretary of State for Transport, c/o Julian Smith, Roads strategy division, Department for Transport, Zone 3/05, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR.
To read about the toll debate, visit www.tollfreeze.com. For more information on the bridge, visit www.whitchurchbridge.com
Published on 22 December 2008
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