How long till it is 30p or more?

On a BBC Radio Berkshire interview on Feb 16th, Geoff Weir actually had the audacity to blame the Tollfreeze organisation for the early toll increase because of the cost of the public inquiry even though the Bridge company knew how much the inquiry would cost before they actually proposed this gradual increase at the very same inquiry. And regardless of the fact that in the case of the Whitchurch Toll Bridge it only takes a single written objection from a member of the public to invoke a public inquiry. It will be interesting to see if the directors take yet another dividend this financial year.

So there we have it; The Whitchurch Bridge Company, as usual, tells the public one thing and then does whatever suits them. They cannot even honour their own proposal. Another absolutely disgraceful example of highway robbery by our ex-Whitchurch Village Parish Council chairman, Geoff Weir and his greedy bridge company.

But don’t fret! If you wish, you can pay £18 per month and get unlimited crossings by car. So at least now the highway robbery is capped at only £216 per annum - almost twice what you’d pay for a small car in road tax to use the rest of the UK road network.

So, please, take action. Please sign the on-line petition and write to your local MP, Oxfordshire County Council, and the Department for Transport to ensure they know your views on this deceitful, untrustworthy sham of a company.

TollFreeze calls on Oxfordshire County Council to step in and take over the toll bridge. They are the only ones with statutory powers to act, yet they do nothing.

photo by Hayly Dowsett

There was a fantastic turn out this morning between 8am-9am. Around 30-40 people turned up (and one troll) to protest the new 40p cash toll and to publicise the new petition to get Oxfordshire County Council to use their powers under the Highways Act to remove the toll from Whitchurch Bridge. There was an overwhelmingly positive reception from the bridge users and well over 250 people had already signed the petition online/by text/on paper within the first few hours of its launch!

If you haven’t already done so please sign the petition on-line.

There was excellent press presence with BBC South TV and the Henley Standard both sending journalists and video cameras for interviews. There has also been much telephone follow-up and we expect good newspaper coverage this week. BBC Radio Oxford interviewed a protester for around 5 minutes live on-air this morning on their morning show.

The current law, as he inspector said himself, is”illogical”.  But in the end he had to follow that law.  And so the bridge got its way.  Again.  As a result, the bridge company will gain with a massive increase in the value of their shares.  They have a way to make free money, guaranteed by law, so they do.  We estimate as much as 56.7% return per year.

“I agree with those objectors who recognised the illogically of a company becoming more valuable as its principle asset nears the end of its life and when the cost of its replacement is escalating, but the fact of the matter is that this is a consequence of the amendments made by the 1988 Act which effectively values the right to provide and operate the crossing.”  - Inspector’s report from inquiry

Who could stop this?  Oxfordshire County Council.  They have the power to stop it now.  Law exists that will let them take over the bridge and make it like all the other hundreds of bridges they do look after.   But they won’t.  They sit on their hands.  Easier to do nothing.

If you don’t like the increase, write to them now.  Write to keith.mitchell@oxfordshire.gov.uk - leader of the council.  Ask him:-

1. Why won’t the council step in and remove the toll from this bridge, like all the hundreds of tolls that were removed from the county  in the 1870’s.

2. Why his bridge department continue to make money advising the bridge company, whilst all the rest of us have to pay the higher toll.

3. Why his bridge department have given such bad advice, that the estimated cost of construction of the bridge has more than trebled in a few years, far too late for the tolls to pay for it without this massive increase.

We will continue to work to remove the toll from this bridge.  Please help us in any way you can.

Please sign the petition to call on Oxfordshire County Council to use their powers under the Highways Act to remove the tolls from the Whitchurch Bridge.

This is what we said.   We now need to wait and see what the Inspector and then the Minister says.  I wouldn’t like to bet any more than a bridge crossing on the result.   I do think we have a real chance at getting something.

Thanks to all that worked for this Inquiry.  We really hope it is worthwhile.  At the very least we have made a very clear mark in the sand.

We now have the dates for the public inquiry.  Tuesday and Wednesday the 2nd and 3rd of June.   It will be at the Elephant Hotel in Pangbourne.   Please try to come along for the opening on the Tuesday at the very least.  A good chance to represent the strength of feeling to the inspector. 

If you wrote a letter of objection you have the right to speak too - and cross examine the other witnesses.  We are not clear of the precise details of this yet.   The Department for Transport say that they won’t send out official notifications until 4 weeks before the inquiry, even though they have fixed the date since March.  We believe in giving you as much notice as possible.

The person who is the “Programme Manager” for the inquiry is Geoff Weir - the spokesperson and Company Secretary of the Bridge Company.  If you want to ask about the inquiry you could try asking him.  He is supposed to act of behalf of the DfT as an impartial arranger.  The DfT say there is no conflict of interest here.

This is just the first stage of our campaign against the toll increase.  We may have won the first battle.  We must now double our efforts to make the inquiry count.  More news on this site as it comes in.

If you’ve already sent one then thanks a lot.  Have an extra mince pie and glass of port.  And look forward to 2009.

For Christmas fun, we have just dug out the archives a list of the promises the WBC made in return for Whitchurch on Thames Parish Council not objecting to the Whitchurch Bridge Act 1988.   Can you guess which former Parish Councillor, now WBC spokesperson, announced he had won the following “formalised assurances” from the WBC:

1. WBC would publish their accounts
2. The parish would always be involved in full consultations before toll increase applications
3. A time-based season ticket would be introduced, to help people that cross several times a day.

First correct answer wins another mince pie.  For bonus points, how many promises were kept?

Martin Salter MP joins protesters on Whitchurch Toll Bridge

Great morning leafleting passing cars at the toll bridge.  Martin Salter MP came along with film crews from ITV and BBC.  Clr. Pearl Slatter of SODC and Martin Salter both handed out leaflets alongside protestors calling for a full wide-ranging public inquiry.  See pictures on Flickr and press coverage

John Howell MP (for the other river bank) also issued a statement and sent his apologies and good wishes for the campaign.