What Tyne Tunnel owners say after backlash over £60 fines and appeals

Transport North East has defended claims it is catching drivers unfairly after the tunnel went cashless and moved to "Open Road Tolling" in November.

As of last night, more than 6,000 people had signed a petition calling for reform after it emerged thousands of drivers were hit by £60 fines under the new system.

Read more: Tyne Tunnel suffers huge backlash over 'absurd' system after thousands get £60 fine

The petition, which echoes concerns raised by drivers and even an MP, claims drivers do not have enough time to pay their toll and also calls for an independent appeals process.

The Tyne Tunnel Picture: GOOGLE

South Shields MP, Emma Lewell-Buck revealed her office had been inundated with complaints from drivers hit by fines, while saying a "robust appeals process" would keep things fair.

Read more: Anger over appeals process at Tyne Tunnel as driver claims it depends on 'who you get'

But issuing a statement to The Northern Echo, tunnel owner Transport North East, said: “Well over two million vehicles have travelled through the Tyne Tunnels using the new Tyne Pass system since it was introduced in November 2021 by the operator, TT2 Limited, driving down carbon emissions from vehicles and making journey times quicker as a result.

“In the first month of the new system, more than 94 percent of tunnel users paid for their toll using the correct process in the required timeframe, and we are confident this figure will grow as users continue to get used to the new system. The timeframe of payment was set to emulate other tolls roads in the UK who have been operating similar systems successfully for a number of years.

The toll booths were removed last year Picture: GOOGLE

"There continues to be a range of ways to pay for journeys including via a pre-paid account which includes a 10 percent discount per journey, via the TT2 app, online, in person/cash at numerous retail outlets using PayPoint and over the phone.

"Many customers with exemptions including Blue Badge holders can travel free of change under the new system by registering their vehicle.

“The new system, including the timelines and payments, were agreed back in 2020 with the Department for Transport via the legal process for Byelaws, and were agreed by the ​North East Joint Transport Committee as the correct way to carry out toll enforcement, based on learning from other areas. 

"The timeframe is clear and over 94 percent of users have understood it and paid on time.

"The contract with TT2 states that staff dealing with appeals must follow a set of agreed rules that determine which appeals should be allowed. 

"Appeal staff must follow the rules in place and TT2 has no discretion to change these rules without Transport North East’s agreement. 

"We agreed with TT2 that it could temporarily relax some rules in the weeks following "go-live" of the new system so that it could help customers to make the transition to the new system under certain conditions, and as a result the level of successful appeals during the first few weeks of operation was unusually high.

“There is an Independent Auditor in place that will regularly review appeals on a sample basis to ensure that the process is being followed correctly, and independent watchdog Transport Focus will conduct periodic reviews of the rules themselves. 

Drivers currently appeal to operator TT2

"We are therefore satisfied that a fair system is in place with a good level of independent scrutiny. 

“Transport North East continues to work with TT2 Limited on all aspects of open road tolling, including the appeals process and payment timeframes and we continue to listen to user feedback to ensure that we make continuous improvements as this new system is rolled out.

"We endeavour to make sure the number of non-payments and therefore unpaid toll charges is as low as possible however it is important that users do pay for their journey, as they are required to do so by law.

“We would be pleased to meet Emma Lewell-Buck MP to discuss the issues that she has raised.”

--

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054