congestion 232x300 M6 Toll Road Usefulness Put to the Test by ReportA new report released from the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) today has questioned the viability of the M6 toll road. In the report, titled “Counting the cost of congestion relief”, the CBT claims that the majority of benefits originally stated that the road would provide have not materialised or have been negated by above-average increases in the amount of traffic.

The M6 toll road was originally opened in late 2003, running between junctions 3a and 12 on the M6, and is intended to provide a route to avoid the infamously busy sections of the M6 motorway. However, in the 7 years of its operation so far there has been only marginal improvement in journey time along the M6 and congestion is still just as prevalent as before.

According to the report the private company that operates the road, Midland Expressway Ltd, has been running the road at a loss of just over £25 million per year causing any potential investors to look elsewhere. To try and combat the losses being incurred the price of the toll has increased from £2 to £5 per car, putting drivers off from using the road even further.

As a final note, it also appears that the government is planning its own £500 million scheme to aid in congestion relief that the toll road is supposed to relieve.

You can read more about the report on the CBT website here.

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