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No toll petition gathers momentum

1:54pm Tuesday 22nd May 2007

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A petition to scrap the toll on the Cleddau Bridge has been started on the Downing Street website.

An email is dropping into inboxes across the county urging people to sign at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/tollfreebridge As of Tuesday morning 61 names had been recorded. Signatures must be added by August 11th, 2007.

The petition, started by Andrew Lye, says: "Tolls are a stealth tax on locals who regularly use it for work, as well as fleecing tourists, and could be seen as hampering economic development in the county".

Earlier this year the Western Telegraph revealed that the bridge tolls had raked in £22m since Pembrokeshire County Council was established.

The council later claimed that it was losing £600,000 a year on the bridge and had no intention of scrapping the charge.

Interestingly, the email forwarded to the Western Telegraph showed forwarding messages from many county council email addresses, suggesting the email had already done the rounds among council employees.

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Susie, Pembroke Dock says...
3:13pm Wed 23 May 07

The number of signatories now stands at 233. Pass the site address to your friends & lobby to have the tolls removed from the Cleddau Bridge.

Crossing the bridge to go to work alone costs me in the region of £250 a year. The bridge has more than paid for itself & should now be toll free.

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Alex, Narberth says...
4:39pm Wed 23 May 07

Viva la revolution!

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pam, pembroke dock says...
8:59am Thu 24 May 07

if we dont pay a toll on the bridge, where will the money come from for future repairs? at least we dont pay what some pay on other bridges throughout the uk. for cars i think 75p is a reasonable price. if we dont pay a toll then the repair costs will probably be added to our council tax and then it would be alot more so i think we are getting off lightly with the charges.

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Andrew Lye, Johnston, Pembrokeshire says...
2:06pm Fri 25 May 07

Many thanks to the 592 people who have signed my petition, without me having to give it any publicity WHATSOEVER!
In response to Pa of Pembroke Dock, I would ask her to read the petition again. It asks the Bridge to be transferred to the Welsh Assembly for it to maintain as part of the road infrastructure.
There will be no cost to repairs to the COUNCIL TAX payers as it will come out of existing highway budgets and all tax payers will pay for it.
Why does Pembrokeshire County Council have to run a bridge, unless its making money out of bridge users? Will Pembrokeshire have the lowest Council Tax in Wales if this income was not made available to it?
All I want to bring about is the FREEDOM of movement with Pembrokeshire. The toll makes many think twice about whether they go over the bridge.
Oh yes, we might go to Pembroke Dock and shop there, and so benefit the town.
Please read the petition again, Pam. I am sure if Rebecca was around, she would have burnt the toll booth down. But I don't advocate that!
Keep on signing the petition and pass the word around. Many thanks again, to everyone, for their support.

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Clive, Rosemarket. says...
8:51am Wed 30 May 07

My wife and myself work the other side of the bridge costing over £600 per annum not including any social visits.I am all in favour of stopping or reducing toll fees.

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Andrew Lye, Johnston, Pembrokeshire says...
8:06pm Wed 30 May 07

To Clive of Rosemarket,
Your case exemplifies the fact that the bridge tolls are an unbearable stealth tax on the people of Pembrokeshire and should be paid for out of general taxation, rather than in the form of a toll.
I trust you have signed the petition and spread the word to friends and work colleagues to sign it. It only takes a couple of minutes.
The more signatures we can get, the more the Assembly and County Hall will have to take notice.
I await County Hall's justification as to why they MUST retain control of the bridge and charge users.

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Quetelet, Pembroke Dock says...
12:49pm Mon 4 Jun 07

I think the 75p is far too cheap - make the toll a nice round pound! Plus, it will save loads of time getting accross, as the numpty toll collectors won't have to waste valuable seconds counting it! I reckon Pembs CC are draining me of 20mins of my life every year in this manner! MAKE IT A POUND NOW!

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Quetelet, Pembroke Dock says...
12:54pm Mon 4 Jun 07

...also, those who can't stump up the quid will have to swim accross the Cleddau, thus tackling the ever growing obesity problem - Howzat!

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BRYN, NEYLAND says...
4:19pm Tue 12 Jun 07

WHAT IF IT GOES PRIVATE,"HOW MUCH WILL THEY CHARGE THEN"

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Christine Dash, Blackwood says...
7:13pm Thu 14 Jun 07

My Dad who lived in Pembroke Dock was dying of terminal stomach cancer. Of course the treatment he required was in Withybush (Great Hospital bye the way.) After the trip to The Dock from Blackwood (107 miles)He had to cross the Cleddau Bridge and we paid the toll. I don't live in Pembrokeshire (unfortunately) But if I did (I wish)I would hate to be restricted to finding employment on the Hobbs Point side of the Cleddau because of the toll charges. If you need a body for a good public demo (placards and all)_ I'm your woman. Any direct action (legalish) will get my support. Come on you Pembies get something going.

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j k barlow, johnston says...
4:20pm Thu 9 Aug 07

I think that removing the brige toll would increase the shopping powers of both Pembroke Dock and Haverfordwest.

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