Birmingham toll road: all stick and no carrot, says West Midlands Euro-MP

10.27.40am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th May 2003

West Midlands Euro-MP Liz Lynne has criticised today's announcement to charge motorists £3 to use the new privately run relief road between junctions 4 and 11 of the M6.

Liz commented:

"We can't simply go on building more motorways at taxpayers' expense to meet ever-spiralling demand. But introducing toll roads, with the profits going entirely into private hands, will do little except make a few people very rich."

"I am disappointed that the money raised from this road will not be going into public transport – that way people would have been encouraged to find alternatives, rather than merely forced to pay extra. People should be offered carrots as well as the stick.

"It is disgraceful that while this road is just a year to completion, the long-delayed Phase 2 upgrade to the West Coast Main Line has been postponed indefinitely. So much for the government's integrated transport strategy."