LOCAL residents have reacted with anger and frustration to the latest toll increases on both the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferries, which came into effect on Monday.

The toll for cars using either crossing has risen from £2.60 to £3, while the discounted Tamar Tag rate has increased from £1.30 to £1.50.

This latest rise comes following a public inquiry in October, which assessed the financial sustainability of the crossings. Despite concerns from people living and working locally, the government approved the increases, citing the need to secure the long-term operations of these vital transport links.

Confirming the rise in March, Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, agreed with the independent inspector’s findings that the crossings must be self-financing, whilst providing a safe, efficient and reliable service.

A spokesperson for the Tamar Toll Action Group said: “This constitutes a 100 per cent rise in four years and a 650 per cent rise in the last three decades. Four times the rate of inflation over the same period.”

A programme called Tamar 2050 looking at how to increase income from the bridge includes a plan to remove toll booths and barriers and bring in ‘open road tolling’ using automatic number plate recognition to improve traffic flow. However, locals have long called for the tolls to be abolished all together, pointing to similar infrastructure elsewhere in the UK where governments have stepped in to lift charges.

One resident wrote: “This stealth tax benefits Cornwall in many ways, but it’s unfairly levied on residents of SE Cornwall. The cost of the bridge needs to come from general taxation, shared amongst all British people, exactly like the rest of the major road network.”

It’s a similar story told by others who use the crossings regularly.

“We recently moved to Saltash, but work in Plymouth. It’s crazy how much we pay over a year. If I could travel without my care, I would, but I need it for work,” they said.