The team behind Dunham Bridge has offered insight into why they increased ticket prices for the first in a decade. In July, drivers were asked to pay as much as double their usual fee to cross the only toll bridge in the county, which connects Lincolnshire to Nottinghamshire.
While some complained, others have pointed out it is still cheaper than going around the bridge - and management has said charging users could be the fairer option. Simon Betteridge, one of five directors at Dunham Bridge Company, said they tried to put off a price hike for as long as they possibly could.
But with the bridge showing increased signs of wear and tear, on top of mounting health and safety costs and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Betteridge said the team was left with no choice. The bridge has to be maintained, he said.
Management is also looking at resurfacing it in the years to come, and the money will have to come from somewhere. Mr Betteridge said: "There is a basic fairness that the user pays and others aren't having to pay to maintain something that many people in the nation will never use.
"It's an alternative funding mechanism." Around 80,000 cars cross the bridge each week, with tollbooth operators regularly dealing with more than 1,000 drivers every shift.
Glyn Holmes, a supervisor at the bridge, added: "Some people don't want to pay to cross the bridge. But if you took away the toll, the bridge would still be there and it would still have to be maintained.
"Instead of the people crossing the bridge having to pay, everybody will." He likened it to a proposed increase in the cost of fuel, which would see drivers pay more towards road maintenance based on the distances they drive.
He said: "They've discussed in the past getting rid of road fund licence and putting extra on the cost of fuel, because then fuel users would be paying for the roads - not every car user. If you do only 4,000 miles a year, why should you pay the same tax for your vehicle as a similar vehicle that does 30,000?"
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