Expert pours cold water on bridge tolls cut

Tolls for motorists will be cut to £1.50 tomorrow after years of campaigning and the Government agreeing to write off £150m of the Bridge’s debt.

But Tom Rye, a professor of transport policy at Edinburgh Napier University, said, judging from the lack of evidence that similar schemes have improved economic performance “there’d be a small increase in traffic, but no real economic benefit”.

MPs, who have lobbied for the changes, disagree and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership said the cut in tolls, which come into the effect the same day as new enterprise zones, with a package of incentives worth over £50m to potential investors, were a real boost.

Prof Rye said there had been a long history of people saying improving transport would lead to an improved economy, but warned: “Trying to find any empirical evidence on economic development is very difficult, if not impossible to find.

“In terms of what is important for business running at a profit and being successful, how much you pay to cross the Humber Bridge is a minor factor.

“People crossing the bridge don’t suddenly become economically active because they cross the bridge. It might just mean they spend their money in a different place – instead of spending it in Grimsby they may spend it in Hull or vice versa. Especially for Grimsby that is not such a good idea.

“If you take the tolls off you are going to have to pay for the upkeep and the bridge debt and forego other spending that might have some useful economic benefit.”

But chairman of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Lord Haskins said the tolls cuts together with the two new Local Enterprise Zones and nearly £44m from the Regional Growth Fund was “something many parts of the country would be envious of.”

“In less than a year the Humber has won a Government stimulus of nearly £250m, based on a clear proposition for growth. It shows what a united Humber can achieve by working together towards a common goal. This is a model we need to repeat time and time again to make the most of the outstanding potential we have to grow our economy.”

Commuters were celebrating as regular users will save hundreds of pounds.

Brigg and Goole Tory MP Andrew Percy, who has campaigned for the move, said Prof Rye’s opinion “contrasts very strongly with the consultants’ study taken on behalf of four local authorities a number of years ago.

“Some of my constituents are already telling me they are looking to the North bank more and I have had one contact me to say as a result of the cuts they have accepted a job on the North Bank. For an average worker its £600 to £700 boost to income a year which is not to be sniffed at.”

The bridge was opened by the Queen in 1981.