Plans to freeze the Mersey Tunnel tolls for another year have cleared a key hurdle after committee members backed the proposals.
Metro mayor Steve Rotheram announced last week that he planned to keep the pricing for the tunnel tolls the same as part of his budget for the upcoming year.
The price of a single fast-tag journey through the Kingsway or Queensway tunnels is currently £1 for those living in the city region and is set to remain at that level for the coming year.
And the plans were endorsed the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority's Transport Committee this afternoon, paving the way for them to be approved by the authority later this year.
Speaking last week, metro mayor Rotheram said freezing tolls was one of a number of measures over the coming year he hoped would help residents of our region hit hard by austerity.
He said: “This year, we’ll be launching our state-of-the-art, publicly owned trains for the Merseyrail network , announcing plans to improve our bus network and moving forward with our ambitious Mersey Tidal Power project, which will harness the River Mersey for clean, green sustainable energy.
“I also want to help ease the burden on local taxpayers in the year ahead, which is why I’m freezing tunnel tolls and the council tax precept for city region residents.”
All councillors bar Wirral Green leader Pat Cleary backed keeping the tolls at their current level.
Councillor Cleary said the policy would continue to encourage private cars to use the tunnels, with the price of a fast tag having dropped by 23% for city region residents over the last eight years.
However he was criticised by Wirral Labour councillor Steve Foulkes, who said that he should not say he wanted tolls raised unless he was prepared to put a number on what the price should be, accusing councillor Cleary of making a "hollow promise".
Responding to councillor Foulkes, councillor Cleary said: "It is not a hollow promise to say that this policy contradicts our climate change and our road safety policy.
"Somebody needs to say that an I am proud to be the one to say it."
As well as the discounted fast tag, all other tunnel tolls are set to remain the same price in the coming year.
