The latest Mersey Gateway figures show that the ‘on time’ payment rate for journeys over the new toll bridge that links Runcorn and Widnes has reached a new record high of 97% for the first quarter of the year.
The newly-released figures show that between 1 January and 31 March 2019:
- 97% of almost six million journeys were paid for before the payment deadline of midnight the day after crossing.
- Journey levels continuing to average at around two million journeys a month, with a seasonal drop off in the quieter January/February period.
- The number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) being issued is continuing to fall as payments on time increase
- revenue from PCNs was higher this quarter due to an increase in payments made by customers who had received PCNs during 2018
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “On time payment levels have been consistent at 96% over the past year, but we’re pleased to see that this level is increasing and we’d like that trend to continue. We’re continuing to work hard to make it even easier for customers to pay as simply as possible.”
He added: “Around 80% of the journeys across the bridge are made by people who have registered their vehicles with merseyflow, which is great because it means that they are all benefitting from a discount on the standard toll charge.”
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “We know from the feedback we receive from people running businesses and living in the area that the Mersey Gateway Bridge is making getting around the region a lot easier and saving people valuable time every day.”
“We’re committed to publishing this information on a quarterly basis to provide all of our customers with the latest data as to how the traffic levels on the bridge are performing.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, types of vehicles using the bridge, number of PCNs issued, traffic by registration type and revenue figures.
It can be viewed at www.merseyflow.co.uk/stats
ENDS
Media release
24 April 2019
Mersey Gateway payment rate hits 97% for the first time in new quarterly figures