Criticism of the new cashless toll payments at the Tyne Tunnel has been “disproportionate”, a new report claims.
An appraisal of the controversial barrierless system, which has been in place at the busy crossing since last year, for the tunnel’s owners concludes that its main goals “have all been achieved successfully”. That is despite the switchover proving seriously unpopular with many drivers – with problems surrounding the new payment methods, warning signs, and the “threatening” enforcement of fines for unpaid tolls having sparked outrage and seen the changes branded an “absolute disaster” earlier this year.
A review conducted by Transport North East (TNE), which manages tunnel operator TT2’s contract on behalf of the North East Joint Transport Committee, found that the ‘Tyne Pass’ scheme had cut carbon emissions and reduced journey times on the A19. The report, which will be presented to councillors at a meeting this Thursday, is separate to a review into complaints about the Tyne Tunnel by watchdog Transport Focus, which is also due to be completed this month.
Since last November, drivers have no longer paid had the option of paying at the traditional toll booths and must now do so either online, with a pre-paid account, over the phone, or in shops with PayPoint counters. Those who are not able to pay by midnight the following day face a £60 penalty, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days or increased to £100 if not settled within 28 days.
The TNE report states that only 3.55% of drivers going through the tunnel in July received fines, compared to more than 5% at the end of last year – though that still amounted to more than 56,000 fines in a month, as a record number of vehicles passed through the tunnel. The number of incidents of automatic number plate recognition cameras misreading licence plates, which has resulted in people from all over the UK being wrongly issued fines, has also dropped from 400 per month when Tyne Pass was launched to 120.
While campaigners have called for the level of fines to be cut, TNE said that the minimum £30 hit was an “appropriate” rate and claimed that the fact it does not rise annually with inflation means it will have “less value” in real terms in 2023. The review recommends some improvements to TT2’s systems, including setting up roadworks that are “easier for drivers to understand” and do not lead to major delays, regular improvements to its telephone payment line, and amendments to pre-paid accounts that mean drivers must add some funds when setting one up.
The Credit Services Association recently criticised language which “could be considered as misleading and threatening” in letters sent by debt recovery agencies to people who have not paid their toll on time. TNE said it had now asked TT2 to undertake regular audits of third-party agencies CDER and Marston Holdings to “ensure that even in the unpopular area of toll enforcement they provide a quality customer experience that is fair and consistent”.
The review admits that some aspects of the Tyne Pass “would have been done differently if the system was planned again” and that there was “undoubtedly a learning curve for TT2 and for customers”.
But it says the project has “achieved its initial aims of reducing carbon emissions, modernising the payment system, creating local jobs and improving journey times”. It also says there has been a “strong improvement” in driver sentiment, judging by online searches.
It adds: “However, the dissatisfaction of some users is recognised and it is disappointing that any customer has had a negative experience in the early months of the Tyne Pass scheme. TT2 acknowledges that some systems and processes in the first months of the new system were not as effective as they could be and these areas have benefitted from improved processes.
“TNE has taken action with TT2 to address the issues raised and make improvements in all areas to respond to feedback. TNE is conscious that as the scheme has matured almost all of the negative feedback is around enforcement which has resulted in a disproportionate focus on Unpaid Toll Charge Notices when in fact the scheme has achieved its aims for the region and is serving customers well.”
Philip Smith, CEO at TT2, said that there had been "bumps on the journey" but that bosses had "constantly listened to customers and issues raised, and responded quickly where we could". He added: “The appraisal inevitably highlights the early day glitches we had that ranged from human error, signage issues to problems with the new software and technology.
“Customer feedback is important to us and has helped the team address any negative experiences quickly, while also allowing us to adjust our systems and processes. Our continuous improvements have remedied most of those early issues raised by customers.
“There has been some genuine concern and confusion among a minority of customers around enforcement of Unpaid Toll Charge Notices (UTCNs) that have been issued. We made some adjustments to our processes and have promoted our appeals procedure. As a result, UTCNs represented only 3.55% of users in July, dropping again in August to 3.50%.
“I am delighted to say the majority of Tyne Tunnel users now fully understand the system and by August 96.50% of customers paid their toll on time. As the scheme evolves and matures, we will continue to listen to our customers along with partners like Transport North East and watchdog bodies like Transport Focus.”
North Tyneside deputy mayor Carl Johnson said he was "pleased to see that the Tunnels operator, TT2 Limited has brought the new modern system into operation, although the payment and enforcement processes need to continue to improve".
He added: “We want to make it even easier for people to pay their toll in the future and will be working hard to ensure this is the case. Officers have been listening to customer feedback daily and will continue to do so and the appraisal has outlined several recommendations which will be taken forward in the coming months.”
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