The comment piece ‘Taking charge’ advocated that politicians and public sector leaders ‘be brave’ and introduce top-up fees (April 23–29). The illustration of an M6 Toll sign had the caption: ‘Toll roads show how top-up charges can work’.
The M6 toll road has failed to attract sufficient traffic, leaving alternative routes congested at high economic cost.
Furthermore, up to March 2009, the London Congestion Charge had income of £1.34bn from charges and fines, net of bad debts. It cost just under £1bn to set up the system and run it, leaving a surplus of about £370m.
Can we really afford such expensive ways of extracting more money from the public to pay for public expenditure?
John McGoldrick
Co-ordinator, National Alliance Against Tolls
