Manchester drops third congestion charge zone

02 November 2007

The Department for Transport is still evaluating the Manchester road charging bid

A scheme which would have cut the cost of Britain’s biggest planned congestion charge zone to drivers has been scrapped on the advice of town hall officials.

They told council leaders in Greater Manchester that a third inner ring just outside the city centre would have cost millions to set up and run, cut the proceeds dramatically, and lead to jams as motorists tried to find car parks along the edge of the cordon.

Had it been introduced, drivers would not have been charged unless they crossed both the intermediate ring and the inner one.

But Sir Howard Bernstein, Manchester chief executive and clerk to the Passenger Transport Authority, told the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities that setting up the inner ring would mean a drop of £15m a year in takings. That would lead to £300m less in borrowing against the proceeds to pay for public transport improvements.

Officials had been asked to investigate the possibility by Salford Council leader, John Merry. He was not at the meeting but his deputy, David Lancaster, had no objection to abandoning it and leaders voted unanimously to reject the plan.

Sean Corker, spokesman for Manchester Against Road Tolls, said: ‘I never really took the idea seriously anyway. The figures show that not enough vehicles are going to be crossing the M60 to make the scheme pay.’

Richard Critchley, policy manager for Transport at Greater Manchester Chamber, said: ‘The boundaries for congestion charging are not set in stone, and are likely to change as time goes on. There are arguments for and against having a third zone. What we are calling for is for AGMA to keep listening to local businesses, so that any potential congestion charge boundaries take into account their needs.’

The outer ring follows the route of the M60, and the Department for Transport is still evaluating Greater Manchester’s bid. It is due to decide in December but there would then have to be another long period of consultation before a final go ahead.

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