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Mersey Gateway News inc Runcorn bridge (SJB)

2016 Gateway news

2015

  • December 31 - GATEWAY PAIN, with BRIEF RESPITE
    Runcorn & Widnes World Dec 30 "Silent night bliss as Mersey Gateway roadworks halted over Christmas"   Runcorn & Widnes World Dec 22 "Mersey Gateway team publishes upcoming road and path closures".


  • December 31 - TWO GATEWAY XMAS PRESENTS
    Guess which of the two stories is from the Councils' spin machine-
    Runcorn & Widnes World Dec 29 "'40 Mersey-Gateway bridge construction jobs laid off' claims made"   Runcorn & Widnes World Dec 21 "Mersey Gateway bridge builders host children's Christmas party".


  • December 12 - GATEWAY PETITION
    Liverpool Echo Dec 19 "Dad fears for his job if toll charge for Mersey Gateway goes ahead "   Liverpool Echo Dec 7 "Petition calling for toll on Mersey Gateway bridge to be scrapped posted online".
    'Make the new Mersey Gateway crossing free for all' Petition on UK Parliament website.


  • December 12 - MERSEY GATEWAY SOLVES UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM - FOR TWO
    Runcorn & Widnes World Nov 27 "Apprentices from Halton land jobs on Halton's iconic bridge project".
    The Council's PR people must be getting desperate.

  • November 15 - PAIN NOW WITH GATEWAY
    Runcorn & Widnes World Nov 10 "Traffic chaos"   Runcorn & Widnes World Oct 23 "Central and Southern Expressways in Runcorn to close for seven months for Mersey Gateway roadworks"   Runcorn & Widnes World Oct 14 "Runcorn residents fear vibrations from Mersey Gateway roadworks could damage their homes".


  • November 15 - SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME ON THE GATEWAY
    For a year the Dartford Crossing has been on the system that they plan to use for the Mersey Gateway. There has been chaos, here is a recent example - Guardian Nov 10 "I was charged £150 in tolls when I wasn’t even in the country".


  • November 15 - WILL NOT BE FIXED
    Chester Chronicle Nov 6 "Can the M56 be fixed? Highways England considers motorway safety improvements".
    To reduce the problems between junctions 12 and 14, the new crossing should have been built west of the existing bridge and a junction 13 created. Instead they are building the new bridge to the east and if anything this will make the M56 problem worse.


  • November 15 - TORIES REPEAT PROMISE OF NO TOLLS ON GATEWAY BRIDGE FOR WARRINGTON RESIDENTS
    Warrington Guardian Oct 24 "Mowat 'surprised' over council's toll stance for new Mersey crossing"   Warrington Guardian Oct 22 "No progress on government promise to scrap Mersey Gateway tolls for residents".


  • October 18 - ROUNDUP OF THE LATEST STORIES FROM THE GATEWAY SPIN MACHINE
    More stories from the local press that are little more than PR handouts-

    L'pool Echo Oct 16 - "Grant to allow panoramic view of Halton at Widnes museum"   Runcorn & Widnes World Oct 15 - "Around Halton in 360 degrees as Catalyst secures £47,000 digital app project".
    The World story says that the new bridge "has been described as the biggest engineering feat in the country and one of the world’s most innovative projects". This accolade was given to the scheme by KPMG, a firm of accountants! The construction of the scheme is innovative in that they are building a massive structure over what is more like a park lake than an arm of the sea, this has enabled them to use techniques that would not normally be possible. This begs the question of why they are not building a simpler low level structure.
    The real engineering feat is the bridge that is being built over the Firth of Forth. A bridge that will not be tolled - BBC Aug 13 - "Queensferry Crossing becomes UK's tallest bridge"   webcams of the new Forth bridge construction.

    On 14 October, the Roads Minister gave a speech at a Highways Magazine dinner. He boasted about all the money that the Government was spending on roads and said "On the local network we are funding schemes such as the new Mersey Gateway Bridge..". Perhaps the Minister has forgotten the two billion pounds in tolls that drivers will be throwing into the hat!

    Keep Away! by land and air - L'pool Echo Oct 17 - "Runcorn and Widnes Mersey Gateway road and path closures announced "   L'pool Echo Oct 6 - "Consortium behind Mersey Gateway Project issues warning over drone flights in and around site".

    This story illustrates the contempt that the authorities have for the population of Merseyside. "Maintaining quality of life" means that Halton is the 27th worst out of 326 local authorities in England, this is the same as it was in 2010 and only slightly better than it was in 2007 (Halton were then the 30th worst), this is despite (or because of?) their much hyped tolled bridge scheme. - L'pool Echo Oct 5 - "Halton Council says borough has maintained quality of life".

    Even the stories about the disruption that the toll gateway is causing seem to come from the spin doctors. Oddly some of the papers repeated the same story two weeks later, don't the papers bother to look at the PR stuff they get from the Council? - L'pool Echo Oct 12 - "M56 slipway closure for Mersey Gateway work as project bosses confirm bridge scheme is on schedule "   Runcorn & Widnes World Oct 9 - "M56 slip road at junction 12 in Runcorn to close for five weeks to prepare for Mersey Gateway bridge"
    Chester Chronicle Oct 7 - "M56 eastbound exit slip at Runcorn junction 12 to close for five weeks" with 1 comment
    L'pool Echo Sep 29 - "M56 eastbound exit slip at Runcorn junction 12 to close for five weeks"   Runcorn & Widnes World Sep 29 - "M56 eastbound slip road at junction 12 to close for five weeks for Mersey Gateway works".
    Here are a couple of stories that have less of the usual spin - Chester Chronicle Oct 13 - "More M56 misery due to junction 12 closure"   Chester Chronicle Oct 12 - "M56 congestion chaos between Helsby and Runcorn ".

    Runcorn & Widnes World Sep 26 - "Tomorrow's young engineers build their own bridge"   L'pool Echo Sep 26 - "Halton mayor launches new civil engineering education facility at Widnes museum".

    One reason for naming this machine 'Trinity' is that there are three foreign banks that are putting up the money - Macquarie Capital, BBGI, and FCC, though if anything goes wrong then the taxpayer has guaranteed that the banks can't lose - Runcorn & Widnes World Sep 22 - "Colossal Mersey Gateway bridge building machine is named"   L'pool Echo Sep 22 - "Europe's longest bridge-building machine named as work starts on Mersey Gateway approach viaducts".

    Art for tolls sake - L'pool Echo Sep 21 - "Mersey Gateway inspired arts initiative launched for Runcorn and Widnes primary schools"   Runcorn & Widnes World Sep 19 - "Children's art project inspired by Mersey Gateway bridge".


  • September 17 - GATEWAY UPS AND DOWNS
    Liverpool Echo Sep 17 - "Unemployment rises for adults overall in Halton but falls for 18-24 age group".
    Echo readers who are told that the Gateway bridge has created 700 jobs may wonder why unemployment has actually increased. The main reason will be that most of the new (and temporary) jobs have not gone to people living in Halton. But the worst is yet to come, when the bridge opens the temporary jobs will have gone and the tolls will drive businesses away from the area.


  • September 17 - GATEWAY SPINS ON AND ON AND ON
    Liverpool Echo Sep 17 - "Images capture latest developments as work continues on £600m Mersey Gateway project"   Liverpool Echo Sep 17 - "Kier Group reaps improving economy with better revenues and profits"   Liverpool Echo Sep 16 - "Bangladesh Army engineers learn about Mersey Gateway Bridge construction in Halton visit"   Liverpool Echo Sep 10 - "Organisations across Runcorn and Widnes benefit from Mersey Gateway Project's expertise".
    What would the local papers do without their regular doses from the Gateway dope pushers?


  • September 10 - GATEWAY SPIN
    Runcorn & Widnes World Sep 8 - "Mersey Gateway project generates £44m and creates 700 jobs"   Liverpool Echo Sep 8 - "Around 700 people employed through Mersey Gateway Project's first year in Halton". (The same PR handout appeared in various construction industry papers.)
    A project that they say is costing 1.86 billion pounds and it has generated only £44m? And how many of the 700 jobs have gone to local people?


  • August 31 - MORE GATEWAY SPIN
    Runcorn & Widnes World Aug 30 - "Search for volunteers to tell the story of Halton's new bridge".
    It seems that having given millions to PR firms, they now expect members of the public to spin for free. We wonder how many people will volunteer?

    Runcorn & Widnes World Aug 21 - "Transformed garden opens thanks to fundraising efforts".
    Liverpool Echo Aug 11 - "Play area being built in Widnes courtesy of Mersey Gateway bridge team and suppliers".
    From the billions of pounds that they are going to get in tolls, they could pay for these giveaways a thousand times over. But who will bear the cost in the end?


  • August 15 - "TRIPS TO VISIT THE FAMILY ACROSS NEW BRIDGE WILL TAKE A TOLL ON RELATIVES"
    Rex Makin's Echo column on the 14th starts "In the 1970s, thousands of families packed their bags and headed off in the modern equivalent of the covered wagon, furniture removal vans, to seek new lives in the promised land of Runcorn New Town. Two generations on, there is still a lot of two-way travel between Runcorn and Liverpool as relatives make the same journey". Rex goes on to argue that people in all parts of Merseyside should not have to pay to cross the river between Runcorn and Widnes..


  • August 15 - THE GATEWAY JUNCTION THAT WASN'T TO BE, WILL BE
    At the 2009 Public Inquiry, some opponents of the new bridge said that if it was to be built then there would have to be a new motorway junction to link up with the Central Expressway. The Council said that wasn't so, but now that work on the bridge has started they have announced a new junction - Liverpool Echo Aug 11 - "Government confirms M56 will be upgraded to 'smart motorway' with extra junction in Runcorn".
    The bridge is being built in the wrong place, but given its location it is odd that they waited till after road works have started to announce a new junction which may make redundant much of the roadworks that they are already doing.
    It is also odd that the Government say that the new junction and other works will "improve access from north Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside to Manchester Airport". The toll bridge was partly sold on the basis that it would encourage more traffic to use Liverpool Airport. It now seems that the bridge and the works now announced will have the opposite effect.


  • August 8 - BRING YOUR BUCKET AND SPADE
    Runcorn & Widnes World Aug 5 - "History being made as concrete is poured into Mersey Gateway pylons"   Liverpool Echo Aug 4 - "Work begins on building giant pylons for Mersey Gateway crossing"   Construction Index Aug 3 - "Concrete pour starts for Mersey bridge pylons".


  • August 4 - MORE TRAFFIC DELAYS
    Liverpool Echo Aug 3 - "Road closures in Widnes for Mersey Gateway project set to disrupt traffic"   Runcorn & Widnes World Jul 31 - "New road closures and diversions at Ditton roundabout to pave way for Mersey Gateway".


  • July 16 - PAIN FOR NO GAIN
    Liverpool Echo Jul 14 - "Motorists warned to expect disruption on major Runcorn route as work continues on new Mersey Gateway bridge".


  • July 16 - DRIVER GETS BLAME FOR GATEWAY ROADWORKS CRASH
    Runcorn & Widnes World Jul 9 - "Lorry driver who ploughed LGV into car killing himself and other driver in Runcorn had taken speed and cannabis, inquest told".


  • July 16 - MECCANO SET FROM CHINA TO BUILD GATEWAY BRIDGE
    Construction Engineer Jul 10 - "Mersey bridge assembles giant “Meccano” scaffolding"   Runcorn & Widnes World Jul 8 - "Colossal 1,500 tonne machine shipped in to build new bridge".
    Meccano used to be based at Binns Road, Liverpool, but this 'Meccano' machine was designed in Norway and engineered in China and is to be operated by the Portugese, so much for 'local' jobs.


  • July 9 - BUDGET FUDGE
    There had been speculation that in yesterday's budget speech, the Chancellor would say something about tolls on the Mersey. What he did say made no mention of tolls, but there was something in one of the documents that was published yesterday HM Treasury - HC264 Summer Budget 2015 report (this is a very large pdf file). At bottom of section 5.5 'The Northern Powerhouse' it says -
    "The government is looking at extending Mersey Gateway bridge toll discounts to residents of Chester West & Chester and Warrington, with final decisions to be made in early 2016. In addition, the government will work with relevant local partners carrying out a review of the tolls on the Mersey tunnels."
    This statement falls far short of what was said during the election campaign and it looks as if the Tory Government and Labour Merseytravel will be collaborating to keep things as they are, with users of the Tunnels (and most users of the bridges at Runcorn) as their prey.


  • July 9 - PLEA FROM AMNESIAC THAT IS LIKELY TO FALL ON DEAF EARS
    Liverpool Echo Jul 6 - "Mersey Gateway bridge: MP calls on government to extend free travel to residents across Merseyside".
    Maria seems to have forgotten that Labour were as enthusiastic as the Tories to force the Gateway tolls scheme through.
    She also seems to have forgotten that she backed increases in Mersey Tunnel tolls and that her sister was one of the main Merseytravel allies when they forced the 'Let's Turn The Tunnel Users Into Cash Cows' bill through parliament in 2004. Could it be that eagles are okay with bridges but avoid tunnels due to claustrophobia?


  • July 9 - GO SLOW
    It seems that though the people in Halton may cross the new bridge faster, they will have to make up for it - Liverpool Echo Jul 1 - "20mph zones approved across Widnes and Runcorn neighbourhoods".


  • June 30 - HALTON ASKS CITY REGION FOR BRIDGE MONEY
    Liverpool Echo Jun 24 - "Funding request over Runcorn-Widnes bridge's annual £2m maintenance cost could be made to city region". As the City Region is making a profit from Mersey Tunnel tolls this means that Tunnel tolls could be helping to pay for the Runcorn bridge.


  • June 30 - DON'T TAKE A DEEP BREATH
    Liverpool Echo Jun 23 - "Deaths due to air pollution in urban areas such as Halton more than double the rate found in Outer Hebrides". Most of the traffic using the new bridge is to be routed down the Central Expressway, so this pollution is likely to get worse.


  • June 30 - MADE IN KOREA
    Could it be that Samsung are supplying the bridge with TVs? - Runcorn & Widnes World Jun 29 - "International VIPs visit Mersey Gateway"   Liverpool Echo Jun 29 - "Korean ambassador to the UK visits Mersey Gateway project site".


  • June 30 - JAM TODAY, TOLLS TOMORROW
    There is likely to be a long period during which traffic delays around Runcorn will get worse. But no problem as there will be a lot less traffic when the tolls start - Runcorn & Widnes World Jun 18 - "Motorists warned of major new expressway diversions in Runcorn".
    Anyway the Council are organising nature walks, and next on the agenda is swimming lessons for those who can't pay the tolls - Liverpool Echo Jun 21 - "Nature walk around Runcorn nature reserve proves popular".


  • June 10 - MORE GATEWAY SPIN
    Liverpool Echo Jun 6 - "Mersey Gateway: Youngsters meet in middle of trestle bridge to mark completion of project milestone"   New Civil Engineer Jun 5 - "Mersey Gateway latest as design chief describes challenges".


  • May 31 - LOOKING AFTER THE BATS
    At least the fish and the birds don't have to pay bridge tolls - New Civil Engineer May 28 - "A week in the life of an engineering ecologist".


  • May 31 - WARRINGTON COUNCIL ASK GEORGE ABOUT HIS NO BRIDGE TOLLS PROMISE
    Warrington Guardian May 22 - "WBC await Government response over tolls on Mersey crossings as MP seeks 'clarification'".
    There was also this letter on 21 May from a supporter of tolls - "Why should the crossing be free for Warrington residents?".
    On the 30th the paper published our reply to the tolls supporter - "We are already paying for the new bridge - even without tolls".


  • May 22 - TEMPORARY BRIDGE BUILT!!!
    More from the spin machine: Liverpool Echo May 22 "Major milestone for Mersey Gateway as trestle bridge meets in the middle"   Runcorn & Widnes World May 7 "Trestle bridge over the Mersey is completed".
    A pity that the papers only print the PR material and never ask any questions. Why are they not using a quick and cheap construction method for the real bridge? They could have built something like the Tay road bridge which is a very long bridge but with simple construction which cost less than £5 million to build 50 years ago.
    The answer is possibly that it is because of Peel Holdings' Ship Canal, they need a high bridge so that the occasional vessel can pass under it. When the canal was built there was apparently a condition that there could be no bridge tolls charged for crossing it, so let's build a massive bridge over the Mersey pond and say that the toll is for that.


  • May 13 - PAIN FOR NO GAIN
    Liverpool Echo May 11 - "Road closures bulletin for Mersey Gateway works in Runcorn and Widnes".


  • May 8 - ELECTION RESULT
    Whether the Conservatives or Labour won nationally was not likely to make any difference to Tunnel tolls. What might have made a difference was who won the Merseyside constituencies. And the result on Merseyside was that voters returned all the sitting MPs, apart from the only one who might have done something about the tunnel tolls - Esther McVey who lost Wirral West to Labour by just over 400 votes (18,898 to 18,481).Wirral Globe May 8 "As David Cameron looks set to sweep victory, Esther Mcvey loses her seat in Wirral West"   Liverpool Echo May 8 "Conservative Esther McVey loses Wirral West after bitter election battle with Labour".
    It looks as if there is not a single MP on Merseyside who will take the slightest interest in the tolls, apart from possibly Frank Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead.
    We assume that George Osborne's promise about Tunnel tolls will be forgotten as there will be no one there to remind him. David Cameron's priority is likely to be giving more money and power to the Scots. In Scotland the SNP took 50 out of 59 seats. Half of those who voted did not vote for the SNP, so if there had been proportional representation the SNP would have got 20 less seats.

    The situation with the planned bridge tolls at Runcorn is interesting because the Conservatives held on to the Weaver Vale constituency by just over 800 votes (20,227 to 19,421). The Conservatives also held on to the Warrington South seat. George Osborne had made a promise that all the people in Weaver Vale and Warrington would be exempt from the bridge tolls. We assume that this is a promise that will be kept: Runcorn & Widnes World May 8 "Graham Evans retains marginal Weaver Vale seat for Conservatives"   Warrington Guardian May 8 "The final Election Bites view following a night of high drama".


  • May 7 - ELECTION DAY
    Wirral Globe May 7 "LIVE: ELECTION RESULTS"   Liverpool Echo May 7 "Election 2015 voting live: Liverpool goes to the polls"   Wirral Globe May 7 "No clear winner as polling stations open"   Liverpool Echo May 7 "General Election countdown over for Halton and key marginal battleground of Weaver Vale".


  • May 5 - VIEWS OF HALTON CANDIDATES
    It seems that there is only one that is interested in the plan to toll the bridges: Liverpool Echo May 5 - "General Election 2015: Find out what Halton's candidates have to say for themselves".


  • May 4 - UKIP DEMONSTRATE AGAINST RUNCORN BRIDGE TOLLS
    Liverpool Echo May 4 - "Ukip protests against bridge tolls at Runcorn-Widnes bridge".


  • May 1 - THE PENNY DROPS
    Liverpool Echo Apr 30 - "String of business closures in Runcorn triggers suspicions that bridge tolls may already be having impact".
    It is obvious that tolls will discourage people from visiting an area. Runcorn are on the 'wrong side of the tracks' so they are likely to be hardest hit.


  • April 29 - BATTLE IN CHESHIRE
    Report from Phil McCann, the BBC's Cheshire political reporter: BBC Apr 22 - "The battle over bridge tolls for Cheshire residents".
    Let's hope that this is not all forgotten after 7th May.


  • April 29 - PAIN FOR NO GAIN
    Runcorn & Widnes World Apr 29 - "Motorists warned of bank holiday delays as major roadworks continue".

  • April 27 - LABOUR ATTACK TORY BRIDGE TOLLS PROMISE
    Liverpool Echo Apr 27 - "Labour parliamentary candidate slams Chancellor's 'desperate' widened free Halton bridge tolls".

    The Tweet that is referred to was on April 23, when George Osborne tweeted "Confirm we'll extend free bridge tolls to residents of Cheshire W & Chester + Warrington - a victory for Stephen Mosley (Tory candidate for Chester) & David Mowat (candidate for Warrington South).
    In a BBC interview, the Chancellor made a similar promise for the Tunnel tolls, but this is not mentioned. Very odd if the Chancellor meant what he told the BBC.


  • April 26 - MORE ABOUT TOLLS REVIEW BY GEORGE OSBORNE
    Last Thursday the Chancellor was interviewed by Phil McCann, the BBC's political correspondent for Cheshire. The Chancellor spoke about residents not paying tolls at Halton and continued: "I am confident we will be able to create a similar scheme for residents on the Wirral so that they don't have to pay the tolls."

    Audio extract from the interview


  • April 25 - DRIVERS ENCOURAGED TO MAKE FREE ROUND TRIPS OVER THE RUNCORN BRIDGE
    Repairs to a road bridge over the A557 Expressway are causing traffic travelling along the Expressway to be diverted over the bridge - and back again! Liverpool Echo Apr 24 - "Part of Runcorn expressway to close for 10 weeks for urgent bridge repairs".


  • April 25 - TWO STORIES THAT WE MISSED ON TOLLS AT RUNCORN
    # Warrington Guardian Apr 8 - "Labour stance on tolls at Mersey bridges criticised following leader visit".
    # Liverpool Echo Apr 6 - "Halton elections contender sets out maverick vision of creating more 'directly democratic' system ".


  • April 25 - MORE ON LABOUR 'PROMISE' ON BRIDGE TOLLS
    Warrington Guardian Apr 24 - "Scrap the tolls" letter from Labour.


  • April 24 - DÉJÀ VU
    There are reports that George Osborne has said that people who live in West Cheshire or Warrington won't have to pay the new tolls to cross the river at Runcorn - Liverpool Echo Apr 23 - "George Osborne pledges to scrap Halton bridge tolls for Warrington and Cheshire West residents"   Runcorn & Widnes World Apr 23 - "Chancellor renews pledge for free tolls for Halton residents but says businesses must pay"   Warrington Guardian Apr 24 - "Chancellor announces intention to remove tolls on Mersey crossings for Warrington drivers" with comments.

    Oddly, the Tory candidate for Weaver Vale revealed most of this on his website a week ago "Graham Evans Secures Review of Tolls On Mersey Gateway & Silver Jubilee Bridge".

    The later version of the story seems to be based on what was told to BBC reporter, Phil McCann Audioboom - "George Osborne bridge tolls interview". The Tunnel tolls are also mentioned in the interview.


  • April 24 - WEAVER VALE CANDIDATES GIVE THEIR VIEWS ON NEW TOLLS
    The Chester Chronicle Apl 23 "Election 2015: Ask the Weaver Vale candidates" put questions to candidates, including "Is it fair that motorists in Weaver Vale have to pay to use certain roads, for example the Silver Jubilee and Mersey Gateway bridges?"
    Graham Evans for Tories said "Way back in 2008, before I was elected, it was decided that tolls should be levied on both the new and existing bridges across the Mersey. I badgered and badgered the Transport Minister and the Chancellor to offer discounts, or make it free, for local residents. Last year we were successful in achieving free travel for Halton residents. But I’m not finished yet. The Chancellor has agreed to consider extending exemptions for residents in Cheshire West and Chester and, if I’m re-elected, I’ll be banging on the Chancellor’s door and calling for exemptions from the toll for all local residents."

    Julia Tickridge for Labour said "No, which is why I was pleased to report on April 6 that, if Ed Miliband (right) becomes Prime Minister, Labour will pledge a formal review of the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee Bridge Road tolls affecting motorists in Frodsham, Helsby and Northwich. It was only Labour that was listening to people’s concerns about the cost of tolls and the impact of congestion. Labour’s pledge has now forced the Tory candidate off the fence in blatant electioneering just prior to the General Election, following his consistent failure whilst in office, to get his own Tory Government to commit to a formal review of road tolls affecting the two-thirds of Weaver Vale in Cheshire West and Chester."

    Amos Wright for UKIP said "It’s not fair at all, the motorist already pays through the nose. The tolls will add greatly to the costs of travel to people who use the bridges to get to work, visit family and access hospital services, many people from Frodsham and Helsby attend Warrington Hospital. It will also add terrible congestion to Warrington as people use that route to avoid tolls. Ukip are opposed to tolls and would scrap them, along with hospital car parking charges."

    Lib Dems said "I am a supporter of the investment in the new Mersey Gateway, which will improve journeys, cut travel time and result in less fuel being burned and lower emissions due to less congestion. It makes sense to send through-traffic across the new bridge and to reserve the other crossing for local traffic, cyclists and pedestrians. I don’t have a problem with having a toll charged for cars and lorries, with free access to the bridge for blue badge holders, cyclists and pedestrians. I would, however, as the local MP, negotiate a reduced toll for all Weaver Vale residents so that this is an affordable option as well as a convenient improvement to the road system."

    Greens said "It doesn’t seem fair that Weaver Vale residents will have to pay for the use of the bridges, especially when no other convenient transport options exist. It seems like the new bridge is a Government vanity project that local people may end up paying for. Investment in public transport and cycling infrastructure would be a better way of reducing congestion before opening a new bridge."

    Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition said "NO. I was highly involved in the NO TOLLS campaign, fighting against both Labour and the Conservatives who wanted tolls for all. Sadly we ended up with a halfway house with no tolls for Halton residents as people outside Halton (ie. Frodsham, Northwich, Chester etc) would not sign the petition."     We think that the Lib Dems deserve a prize for admitting that they are like jihadists when it comes to supporting tolls. As for the others, where were they when the toll plans were pushing pushed through?


  • April 20 - ONE OF THE BACKERS FOR THE 'GATEWAY' SCHEME IS PULLING OUT OF INFRASTRUCTURE
    FT Apr 19 - "Rothesay to reduce investments in UK infrastructure".
    The story says that "The group was a lead investor in the first publicly-issued bond backed by guarantee, which is funding the Mersey Gateway, a six-lane toll bridge being constructed near Liverpool." It also says that the group are cutting back because "Unfortunately that pipeline hasn’t materialised to the noise and puff that was rumoured". This seems to imply that the financing was largely a smokescreen designed to mask the fact that the private toll bridge would not have gone ahead if the Government had not come up with a scheme where they took the risks rather than the private sector. And of course it would not have gone ahead if the existing free public bridge was not being tolled as part of the scheme.


  • April 20 - MORE FROM THE GATEWAY SPIN MACHINE
    Runcorn & Widnes World Apr 20 - "Community groups invited to bid for free consultancy services".
    This puff is about "thousands of pounds worth of free consultancy services". Strange that the news media never mention the billion pounds in tolls that drivers will have to pay.


  • April 19 - LABOUR 'PROMISE'
    The Labour candidate for Weaver Vale says that her party will 'review' the tolls for crossing at Runcorn - Chester Chronicle Apr 8 - "Weaver Vale election battle hots up as Labour pledges to review bridge tolls".
    While the Tory candidate for Weaver Vale says that this is a "frankly useless" pledge, an "empty, groundless promise" and "blatant electioneering" - Liverpool Echo Apr 9 - "Tories dismiss 'frankly useless' Labour pledge to review tolls on Runcorn-Widnes bridges".


  • April 19 - A WOODY STORY
    Liverpool Echo Apr 14 - "250 tons of woodchip from Mersey Gateway tree clearance works used as fuel in biomass power plant".
    It seems that it is green to chop down thousands of trees to build a bridge for the banksters and politicians who want to take more money from drivers, providing that the wood is then transported half way across the world to be burnt.
    Why did the Echo need a Freedom of Information request for this story? The Gateway PR team would happily have provided this spin.


  • April 18 - PAIN FOR NO GAIN
    Gateway work causing more traffic disruption - Liverpool Echo Apr 14 - "Motorists warned of northbound Ditton Flyover closure in Widnes for two days"   Liverpool Echo Apr 8 - "Motorists told to watch their speed on Runcorn highways as bridge works ramped up"   Runcorn and Widnes World Apr 8 - "Drivers warned of new diversions on Runcorn's Expressways".


  • April 18 - ... THE TOLL JOKE AND NOTHING BUT A JOKE
    Ed Milliband pledges to review the tolls on the bridges at Runcorn - Runcorn and Widnes World April 7 - "Eddie Izzard surprises Runcorn residents".


  • April 7 - WARRINGTON CONFIRMS ITS OPPOSITION TO RUNCORN TOLLS
    Warrington Guardian Mar 31 - "Motions to scrap tolls and review budget passed at council meeting".


  • April 7 - DEAL OF THE YEAR
    Europe's banksters say that the Runcorn toll scheme is deal of the year, or should that be 'steal'? - Premier Construction Apr 1 - "Merseylink consortium welcomes awards success".


  • March 30 - MORE ON WARRINGTON OPPOSITION TO MERSEY TOLLS
    Warrington Guardian Mar 30 - "Two parish councils boost campaign to scrap tolls on Mersey bridges".


  • March 30 - ROBBER BARON VISITS RUNCORN
    Liverpool Echo Mar 27 - "Chancellor tours Runcorn haulage hub".


  • March 30 - WHAT, NO GAOL?
    Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News Mar 23 - "Persistent toll dodgers on Mersey Gateway and Runcorn-Widnes bridges could have vehicles seized".


  • March 30 - DIRT ON ROADS
    Runcorn and Widnes World letter Mar 18 - "Heaps of soil piled up at side of expressway".
    If people knew what toxic chemicals might be buried under part of the site, they might be worried about more than dirt.


  • March 21 - WHAT JOBS?
    Halton Council refuse to say how many Gateway construction jobs have gone to locals - Runcorn and Widnes Evening News Mar 16 - "Tenants rights chief casts doubt on Mersey Gateway job creation and public transport boost claims in Runcorn".
    Of course this information is "confidential", they can always find an excuse to keep the public from knowing anything that is going to damage the illusion that their PR machine has spent millions creating.
    Michael Gelling who was asking the question is one of the few Halton people who spoke at the 2009 Public Inquiry. Apart from the effect of tolls on community groups and others, his main worry was the routing of traffic through the "heart" of Runcorn.


  • March 21 - PAIN FOR NO GAIN
    Gateway work causing more traffic disruption - Runcorn and Widnes Evening News Mar 17 - "Runcorn expressway route to shut for 18 months for Mersey Gateway bridge works"   Runcorn and Widnes World Mar 16 - "Delays and disruption expected as major Runcorn expressway route closes for 18 months". The stories are almost identical, but readers' comments on the delays are different


  • March 21 - NICE CARTOON, BUT PHONY PETITION


    Warrington Guardian letter Mar 10 - "Get rid of road tolls".
    This scam was dreamed up under a Labour Government, so it is bizarre that a link which is supposedly for a petition against the tolls takes you to a Labour Party site
    (The cartoon is by Paul Thomas from this Daily Express story.)


  • March 19 - MORE ON GO DIRECTLY TO GAOL
    Halton Council is expected to approve draconian powers against those who fail to pay the tolls - Liverool Echo Mar 19 - "Plans for new enforcement powers for Mersey Gateway Bridge" also see comments.


  • March 19 - MPs IGNORE OPPOSITION TO TOLLS AND CALL FOR A BIGGER STICK TO BEAT THOSE WHO DON'T PAY
    On the 17th the Transport Committee of MPs (from all the main parties) published a report on 'Strategic River Crossings' - Parliament page which includes link to the report.

    They had called for evidence which included the question of whether river crossings should be tolled.
    But in its report the committee completely ignored the evidence against tolling. Instead the committee want new crossings to be provided by the private sector and to be tolled. The committee is also calling for stronger measures against drivers who fail to pay at crossings where there are no barriers, such as at Dartford.

    National Alliance Against Tolls evidence to the Committee.
    Supplementary evidence from National Alliance Against Tolls after it became clear that the Committee were ignoring opponents of tolls.


  • March 16 - GO DIRECTLY TO GAOL
    Halton Council meets on Wednesday 18th to approve more draconian powers against those who fail to pay the tolls - Halton Council Mar 18 - "Mersey Gateway Bridge – Proposed River Mersey (Mersey Gateway Bridge)(Modification) Order and Proposed Mersey Gateway Bridge and the A533 (silver Jubilee Bridge) Road User Charging Scheme Order".

    Up to now they had been intending to use different tolling powers for the Gateway bridge as against the Silver Jubilee. For the old bridge they were going to use Transport Act 2000 powers as amended. Those powers can be used to toll ANY road.
    For the new bridge they were going to use Transport and Works Act 1992 powers - though we argued at the Public Inquiry that this Act did not relate to bridges and therefore what they were doing was illegal. The law of course generally does not matter to them, but it seems that they must now have decided that they will have bigger penalty powers under a Transport Act 2000 tolling regime.

    It is the Transport Act 2000 which empowers the tolling at Dartford, because the original tolling power ceased in 2003 when all the costs had been paid off. Dartford went barrierless on 1st December 2013, using a similar system to what they will use at Halton. There has been a high non-payment rate. As at 26 February, 10% of the journeys made in December had still not been paid for.

    Our guess is that Halton has realised that it wants as strong powers as possible on the Gateway bridge as well as the Silver Jubilee.


  • March 14 - MORE JOIN IN OPPOSITION AT WARRINGTON
    Warrington World Mar 11 - "NHS Trust backs council's campaign against 'potentially disastrous' Mersey bridges tolls".


  • March 14 - ANOTHER STORY FROM THE SPIN MACHINE
    Runcorn and Widnes Evening News Mar 7 - "Budding civil engineers learn how to build bridges with Mersey Gateway team in Runcorn".


  • March 6 - GATEWAY STORY THAT SLIPPED BY THE CENSORS
    Runcorn and Widnes World Mar 4 - "Companies fear tolls could drive them out of business".
    Well done to the Chamber of Commerce for sticking up for business despite the power that the Council wields. A pity that half the story is taken up by a defence from the toll enforcers who usually get their say with their opponents ignored or gagged.


  • March 6 - MORE STORIES FROM THE GATEWAY PR MACHINE
    Runcorn and Widnes World Mar 6 - "Apprentices recruited for iconic Mersey Gateway project", not in the Weekly News - yet
    How about some statistics showing what proportion of those working on the scheme are local, and what proportion of those who are earning the big money are local. Don't hold your breath waiting for any real figures, as all you will get in the 'news' papers is more hype.

    Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News Mar 2 - "Mersey Gateway finance deal wins two international awards", as usual the World carries the same story, fresh from the pens of Halton Council's hacks
    The lawyers, consultants and PR people are the ones that should get an award, for fooling the public into thinking that this crazy scheme is a good idea. Though perhaps a few million in the bank is better than a bit of ribbon or a plastic cup.

    Liverpool Echo Mar 3 - "New road closures due to Mersey Gateway Project "
    Even when announcing more road closures the Echo has to say "The Mersey Gateway has been identified as one of the UK government’s Top 40 priority projects in the National Infrastructure Plan." No wonder it's a priority as nowhere else would be daft enough to accept the tolling of the Runcorn bridge.

    Best of this week's bunch of PR stories? Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News Feb 28 - "Runcorn student gives up school holidays for Mersey Gateway work experience"


  • February 26 - WARRINGTON AGAINST MERSEYTOLLS
    Warrington Guardian Feb 26 - "Businesses back council's campaign against 'disastrous' tolls at Mersey bridges"
    Are these some of the businesses that the 2009 Public Inquiry was told backed the tolled bridges plan?
    Even though it is election time, it is welcome that some of the politicians are saying that they oppose tolls. But what will they do after May?
    A Local Tory MP says "I have .. been successfully lobbying for two new bridges in Warrington, which, as well as providing a solution to this problem, will benefit many more commuters in the town." It was of course his own government that created "this problem" when it approved and financially backed the plan to toll the Mersey, including the Silver Jubilee bridge at Runcorn.


  • February 26 - BUILDERS WANTED
    Runcorn and Widnes World Feb 24 - "Skilled professionals wanted to build iconic Mersey Gateway" (The Weekly News did not print their version till the 1st March. Perhaps their copy of the story got lost in the mail.)
    So the trolls need "civil engineers, quantity surveyors, planners"? Seems a bit late. And why are we being told that this bridge over the Mersey mud is a "£1.86 billion .. project" and is "one of the biggest civil engineering projects in Europe"? Does it really cost that much to build a bridge that is aimed at reducing cross river traffic? Would it not have been cheaper to just put 'NO ENTRY' signs at both ends of the Silver Jubilee bridge?
    On the question of the cost of the bridge, perhaps the PR people ought to get together and arrange a consistent story. The following day the Echo reported that the cost was "£450 million" - Feb 25 - "Growing order book gives Kier confidence for future "


  • February 26 - NO DRIVING
    Liverpool Echo Feb 24 - "Mersey Gateway project causes road closures"
    "The benefits the project will bring to the region include over 4,000 permanent ..jobs". Seems like another presumably free advert placed by Halton Council for the naive public to fall for.


  • February 26 - NO RUNNING
    Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News Feb 23 - "Run The Bridge race cancelled due to Mersey Gateway work"
    Strange that building a new bridge means that you cancel a run on the old bridge. It also does not fit in with what the Trolls do with the Mersey Tunnels which they would close even if it was only for an egg and spoon race.


  • February 21 - LETTER THAT WE SENT TO HALTON COUNCILLORS
    This letter was sent to Halton councillors on the 20th. It raises Halton Council's involvement with the Mersey Tunnels tolls, and asks whether councillors were aware that the traffic will plummet once there are tolls on the bridges with their "KEEP AWAY FROM HALTON" signs.


  • February 19 - PLUG FOR 'GATEWAY' TROLLS
    Runcorn and Widnes World Feb 19 - "Mersey Gateway experts share their knowledge and skills with Halton students". Oddly this story is not in the News.


  • February 12 - MORE PARTY POLITICS
    Warrington Guardian 12 Feb - "Council leader warning over bridge plans and claims town's MP has 'failed'".
    The Labour Leader of Warrington Council is mainly complaining about whether a new untolled bridge due to open at Warrington in 1923 has had the final go-ahead and who should claim the credit. But he also says "The Mersey Gateway is due to open in 2017, so what are we going to get between 2017 and 2023? (The local Tory MP) should have been lobbying this Government to take tolls off the bridge at the Mersey Gateway for Warrington residents and he has failed. I think whichever MP in Warrington South comes in, they should campaign vigorously and strongly to the next Government to take tolls off the bridge...".

    At the Public Inquiry in 2009, Warrington had a chance to fight the tolls on the 'Gateway' bridge, but they did not as they were 'promised' money to try and cope with the increased traffic due to vehicles avoiding the tolls at Runcorn. At the time, Warrington was run by a coalition of Lib Dems and Tories, but there is no sign that Labour would have been any better.


  • February 11 - AFTER CHILDREN, WHAT NEXT?
    The papers are again publishing PR releases from the toll masters as if it was real news - Runcorn & Widnes World 11 Feb - "Children open new Mersey Gateway visitor centre", as usual there is the same 'story' in the Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News.
    Can we suggest for the next PR release a picture with someone from the scheme stroking a dog or planting some trees, or have they already done that one?


  • February 9 - LABOUR COUNCIL AND TORY GOVERNMENT FIND NOVEL WAY TO PROVIDE "PRIVATE" FINANCE
    Not new really as we already knew that Councils and Governments will do anything to help the banksters and extort more money out of drivers. But it may still surprise some that Halton Council is borrowing money to help pay for the 'privately financed' toll bridges - Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News 9 Feb - "Halton Council debt to rocket by £113m after Mersey Gateway loan taken out to make most of low rates".
    Though this £100 million is small change compared with the £470 million that the Government is putting into this private project. A project which when it was not private and not tolled was estimated to cost only £200 million and to open in 2008!

  • February 9 - VE 'AVE VEYS OF MAKING YOU PAY
    The planned tolls on the bridges at Runcorn will have no barriers, and there will be big penalties for anyone who fails to pay. Halton Council today (9th Feb) started a consultation on the plan to have penalties that start at twenty pounds, but could end up being a LOT more.
    Most users of the Tunnels are unlikely to be directly affected by this. BUT even if you are not, please consider replying to this as they will bring these penalties in for the Tunnels at some point.


  • February 2 and 3 - POLICE BACK THE TROLLS Liverppool Echo 2 Feb - "Mersey Gateway: Striking police helicopter photograph shows work progressing on £600m project"   Runcorn Weekly News 3 Feb - "Police helicopter captures image of temporary bridge structure between Widnes and Runcorn ".
    Would these be the same police who at the 2009 Public Inquiry backed this tolls scheme?
    Are they really building a 'temporary' bridge so that they can build a bridge?


  • January - MORE ON PLANS FOR ANOTHER (TOLL FREE) CROSSING AT WARRINGTON Warrington Guardian 29 Jan - "Green light for high level crossing over Manchester Ship Canal".


  • January - HALTON COUNCIL TREATS RESIDENTS AS FOOLS Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News 28 Jan - "Protesters demand tighter air pollution monitoring in Runcorn and Widnes ".
    Incinerators push a lot of lethal stuff into the air and you won't catch an MP living anywhere near one. But what well paid PR hack came up with - “Road traffic, particularly on the A557 (Weston Point Expressway), contributes more to concentrations at worst-case locations than industry. The opening of the Mersey Gateway is expected to dramatically reduce traffic on the A557 and thus improve air quality for residents.”. The traffic on the Weston Expressway will indeed go down, but that is because the scheme is designed to force most of the traffic to go down the Central Expressway - which goes through the heart of Runcorn.


  • January - YOUR LOCAL TROLLS NEED YOU Runcorn & Widnes World 22 Jan - "Mersey Gateway volunteer encourages residents to learn about the new bridge and the borough's history".


  • January - WARRINGTON COUNCILLORS BLAME PM FOR TOLLS ON CROSSINGS AT RUNCORN Warrington Guardian 14 Jan - "Council hits back at Prime Minister after claims surrounding town's growth".
    Someone has started a so called "petition" against the tolls -     Warrington Guardian letter 29 Jan - "Please sign online petition to get the tolls scrapped!".
    The petition is no more than a Labour party stunt and though the Tories and Lib Dems back the tolls plot it was hatched under Labour.


  • January - GATEWAY SPIN 2015 - Part 2 -
    The local papers continue to print the press releases as 'news', even using the pictures as handed to them -
    Liverpool Echo 11 January - 'Good news for Liverpool drivers! Road works on Mersey Gateway bridge switch to nights'. Identical story in Runcorn World and Runcorn News.
    Runcorn & Widnes World 5 January - 'Trees felled for Mersey Gateway bridge replanted in peace garden'. Identical story in the News.


  • January - "CROSSING THE MERSEY LINE" -
    Letter from Sailing Club in Warrington Guardian 7 January.


  • January - MOTORWAY MADNESS -
    Chester Chronicle 6 January - 'Highways Agency say they will take action 'when appropriate' on M56 crash spot at Frodsham'.
    The M56 in this area is already congested. The problems would have been a bit less if any new crossing was to be built to the west of the existing crossing and link into a junction west of Junction 12. Instead the new bridge is being built to the east and any new junction will be to the east of Junction 12. It is doubtful that any action by the Highways Agency will overcome the effect of these bad decisions.


  • January - SPIN MACHINE 2015 - Part 1 -
    Liverpool Echo 3 January - 'Mersey Gateway progress revealed in pictures'.
    One comment says "... the old bridge is also to be 'Tolled' as a way of ensuring the Pirates building the new bridge can rip the public off for any amount they want - the only way to avoid this rip-off is to use the tunnels instead...Oh .. hang on..."


    2014 Gateway news

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