Since open road tolling was introduced at the Tyne Tunnel in November 2021, the transport link has hit the headlines a number of times.
Although the move was put forward to slash waiting times and reduce CO2 emissions across the North East, a number of people from around the country have persistently voiced their complaints due to 'teething problems', hefty fines received through error and even alleged application issues. As a result, thousands have campaigned for changes in the way that TT2 Limited run their payment system - with an online petition set-up by Gary Spedding receiving in excess of 13,000 signatures.
On Wednesday, the Tyne Tunnel was featured on the Watchdog segment of the One Show and so we thought we would take a look at a timeline of stories and fine errors we have covered over the last few months.
Read more: Tyne Tunnel appoint independent watchdog to help improve complaints process
Tyne Tunnel goes 'cashless' - November 2021
The Tyne Tunnel launched its open-road tolling initiative on November 8, 2021, with hopes of improving congestion, slashing CO2 emissions and making the transport link an easier and more pleasant experience for users.
In a move named the 'Tyne Pass project', operator TT2 removed the toll plazas and introduced 'open road tolling', meaning that vehicles can now drive straight through the Tyne Tunnel without stopping.
In the biggest shake up to the service since a second tunnel was opened in 2011, ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition) cameras were set up to record vehicles passing through the tunnels, with motorists having the responsibility to pay their tolls by midnight the day after their journey instead of at toll booths at the North entrance.
Read more here.
Driver furious after Tyne Tunnels threatened him with £120 fine, even though he'd paid - December 2021
A driver who paid for two trips through the Tyne Tunnels was left fuming when he received penalty notices demanding £120 two weeks after his journey.
South Shields driver Paul Bennett slammed the tunnels' new cashless system, stating that it makes life more difficult for people without smartphones after he coughed up £3.80 at a shop PayPoint, but the system still insisted he hadn't paid in time. Luckily, Mr Bennett was able to produce a receipt for the journey, and shortly after he contacted ChronicleLive about the mistake, his appeal against the charge was successful.
Read more here.
Petition calling for Tyne Tunnel to reconsider controversial payment system receives almost 2,500 signatures in just two days - January 2022
A petition urging bosses at the Tyne Tunnel to reconsider the new payment system had a huge response from motorists after launching at the turn of the year. The campaign itself was set up by North Tyneside-based Gary Spedding, in a bid to put an 'ethical system in place' after motorists across the region voiced their anger at the new open-road tolling system implemented on November 8 2021.
Read more here.
Pressure put on Tyne Tunnel executives after 'large fines' raised in Parliament by MP and 8,000 sign petition - January 2022
Executives who oversee the Tyne Tunnel faced increasing pressure to make changes to their payment system, after an MP raised problems with the transport link in Parliament. South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck said there were rising concerns about allegedly incorrect fines that her constituents and others are facing.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the South Shields MP said: "My constituents and many others have been incorrectly subjected to large fines, incurred debt, and are being chased by bailiffs for alleged non-payment of the toll at our Tyne Tunnel, since it changed to an open road system. Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg replied: "I am grateful to the Honourable Lady and I have enormous sympathy for the issue that she is raising. There is nothing more vexatious for our constituents than being fined by officious bodies for doing things that are perfectly normal to do."
Read more here.
Tyne Tunnel deny issue with new app as Hadrian Park couple face up to £300 in fines - February 2022
A man criticised the Tyne Tunnel company after he and his partner were left facing up to £300 in fines due to problems they say they have had with the company's new payment app. Peter Rush says the app, which was launched in tandem with the controversial new payment system at the tunnel, did not continue the automatic top-up system he previously used to ensure his toll was paid.
Peter, who lives in Hadrian Park, also did not get any notification to say there was no money left in his account, meaning he and his partner Jenna Coyle had gone through the tunnel several times before the problem was noticed. While the Tyne Tunnel have said there is no issue with the app, Peter says he is not the only person to have the issue - other people have taken to social media to complain while the app has a rating of just one star on the Apple app store.
Read more here.
Kent woman who has 'never been to the North East' shocked by £175 Tyne Tunnel fine - March 2022
A grandmother was left stunned after being hit with a fine of more than £175 from the Tyne Tunnel – despite never having been to the North East. The crossing has been the subject of a raft of complaints over recent months since making the switch to a new cashless system.
But the latest motorist to become exasperated with the new toll payment scheme has never even seen the Tyne Tunnel and had to Google where it was. Julie Barnett, from Kent, was confused when she received an Unpaid Toll Charge Notice (UTCN) from tunnel operator TT2 in December.
Read more here.
Lancashire pensioner wrongly sent Tyne Tunnel fine despite never making a trip through it - March 2022
A 77-year-old widow revealed her fears of being 'blacklisted' and facing legal action upon wrongly receiving a fine from the Tyne Tunnel. Shirley Holman, who lives in Lancashire, received an Unpaid Toll Charge Notice (UTCN) from TT2 Limited on March 8, 2022 - for non-compliance of an alleged trip made on December 13 last year.
However, Shirley says that although she has a son who lives in Sunderland who she often visits, she was not in the North East when the incident was said to have taken place. She also said that although the Kia EV6 pictured on the letter itself was the same model as the car she drives, it was a completely different colour to hers - and she has never made a trip through the tunnel.
Read more here.
Hampshire woman 300 miles away from Tyne Tunnel hit with 'multiple' fines despite never driving through it - March 2022
A Hampshire woman was left feeling 'nauseous' after receiving 'multiple' fines from the Tyne Tunnel, despite never visiting the transport link 300 miles away from her home. Susan Woodhead, from Andover, was shocked to find that she had received multiple Unpaid Toll Charge Notices from TT2 Limited, despite being nowhere near the North East of England on the dates she was said to have been snared for a lack of compliance.
And the news hit her so hard after her initial notice on December 3, that she decided to head straight to her local police station - worrying that it may be a scam, or that her plates may have even been cloned.
Speaking to ChronicleLive, the 69-year-old said: "I was very concerned, I also wondered whether it was a scam and somebody was trying to get money out of me. I took it to the police station, and the police said 'no, but if this wasn't you it may just be a one off, you could just drop them a line but don't worry.'
TT2 Chief Executive Phil Smith said: “We would like to reassure tunnel users that, due to the high accuracy of our ANPR system, incorrect number plate readings are very rare and will always be rectified as soon as a customer appeals their UTCN. This means that no-one will ever have to pay for our error.
"We endeavour to sort out any charge notices caused by incorrect readings as quickly as possible, via our customer service team.
“Currently, our ANPR readings are correct 99.8% of the time and our agents manually check around 5,000 readings per day.
“We are putting new steps in place continually to improve this accuracy rate, as we learn more about the technology and how to effectively mitigate against any anomalies that occur in the automatic readings. We are striving to reach an accuracy rate of 99.96% and believe we are track to achieve this.”
Read more here.
You can catch up with Watchdog on iPlayer.
What do you think about the Tyne Tunnel's new open-road tolling system? Let us know in the comments below
