C-Charge: 80 per cent won’t pay a penny claim

CONGESTION charge supporters have released new figures showing that 80 per cent of peak-time drivers will not have to pay a penny.

And they have moved to reassure motorists that there are no plans to bring charging schemes to town centres such as Oldham.

Up to £3billion of funding is available for transport improvements in Greater Manchester, including bringing trams through the centre of Oldham.

But part of the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) investment will be paid by the controversial Manchester congestion charge.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has published figures to show how the finances of the proposed scheme have been put together.

The weekday only, peak-time congestion charging scheme is based on drivers paying when they cross one or two rings at peak times heading towards Manchester in the morning and away from the city centre in the evening.

The statistics state that 20 per cent of peak-time drivers will pay some charge. Only two per cent would pay the full £5 charge, at 2007 prices, with five per cent paying £3 for only crossing the boundaries in a morning.

Another five per cent will either only cross the outer M60 ring once, or the two inner rings twice, paying £2.

And eight per cent would cross one ring, either the M60 outbound or the inner ring in or out, paying £1. It all adds up to an average charge in 2013 of less than £3.60.

The figures also assume that one per cent of drivers pay a penalty charge, compared to four to six per cent in London and Stockholm.

AGMA says the lower figure reflects the peak-time, direction of travel only nature of the proposed Greater Manchester charge, and the simplicity of payment through the tag and beacon system.

AGMA leader, Lord Peter Smith, said: “I trust these figures will demonstrate how our plans have been put together assuming that the vast majority of drivers in Greater Manchester won’t pay any charge at all and that, of those who do, the average charge will be less than £3 at current prices. There are obviously no plans to extend charging to the districts towns.”

Total revenues from the charging scheme in 2015 are estimated to be £174 million.