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(page revised 30 November 2007)
National Alliance Against Tolls was formed by groups from England, Scotland and Wales.
There are currently about 24 tolls around Britain, with the NAAT particularly campaigning against:- "road pricing", "congestion charges" (now proposed for various cities), tolls in Scotland, and on the M6, Dartford Crossing, Humber bridge, Severn Bridges, Mersey Tunnels and Tyne Tunnel.
If you can help with the fight against a particular toll or all tolls then please contact us.

  • This page is meant to be scrolled down, but you can jump to - LINKS   CONTACT US   Talk to ABD in 2005 - answers to 11 questions (separate page). The "Figures" page contains various miscellaneous information related to tolls etc.
    You can search the whole site using the Google box:-
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    WINS
  • Skye And Kyle Against Tolls (SKAT), who fought tolls on the Skye bridge from its opening in 1995, eventually won and the tolls were removed at the end of 2004.

  • We also oppose Scotland's three remaining tolls, and at the end of March 2006 the toll at Clyde's Erskine bridge was removed. The Forth and Tay tolls are expected to go in January 2008. Scotland will then be toll free again.

  • Edinburgh had a long pro Tolls aka "congestion charge" campaign which marshalled massive financial resources for a referendum which was biased towards a Yes vote. Despite this the result of the "Toll Poll" in February 2005 was "no" by three to one.

  • The Government had planned to introduce tolls for lorries in 2008. They had said that this would only affect foreign lorries, but it was a Trojan horse. The plan was abandoned in July 2005. They claimed this was because of wider road pricing plans, but the real reason was that the costs would have exceeded the income!

  • The Government in July 2006 abandoned their proposal for another M6 Toll or "Expressway". There had been opposition from those opposed to any road building, but we believe that we made the bankers realise that a tolled road was too big a risk because of public opposition to the concept of tolls.

  • In summer 2004 the Government announced proposals for tolls on all roads or "road pricing". Over the course of 2007 this has gradually become almost a dead duck, with the credit going to one man - Peter Roberts - and his petition. Unfortunately various interests are still pushing the proposals and the Government is still going ahead with "congestion charging" pilot schemes.


    A TOLL FOR ALL SEASONS

    There may be tolls on:-
  • Individual stretches of road, usually going a long distance. These used to be known as Turnpikes, though this term survives only in the USA. Nearly all such roads in Britain were made free in the late 1800s; there is now only one significant one, the M6 Toll which opened in December 2003.

  • Crossings of rivers or other stretches of water. There are about 20 in Britain.

  • Zones that cover all roads in a wide area, usually a city centre; those who advocate Toll Zones disguise them as "Congestion Charging Zones". The best known example is London. There is nominally one other, at Durham, but it is only one street. Ten other areas are considering introduction of these charges as pilots for national road pricing. So far only Greater Manchester and Cambridgeshire have made definite submissions to the Government which is considering them.

  • All roads. The intention is that all EU countries will have this for trucks. Germany pioneered this, introducing "Toll Collect" at the start of 2005 for trucks, though it only applies to main roads. Britain was to also have this but the Government abandoned it. The Government (backed by the Tories and Lib Dems) planned to introduce road pricing on all roads, but at a national level they have all put this out of play for now.
    •  Whatever the toll is on it will usually have these three features:-
  • The road will carry a significant amount of traffic (otherwise the collection costs will swallow up all of the toll).

  • There will be no practical alternative (otherwise people will avoid it).

  • People will be conditioned into accepting the idea of a toll (otherwise ....).

    • REASONS WHY WE OPPOSE TOLLS
  • Tolls are a regressive tax, i.e. the charge doesn't vary according to your income, and thus affects roads users on low incomes more than it does rich roads users.

  • Tolls are inefficient - a very large proportion of what is paid in tolls goes into the cost of collecting it.

  • Tolls are wasteful - apart from the cost of a collection and enforcement bureaucracy, authorities that operate tolls tend to be overmanned and looking for ways in which they can use up the money as fast as it comes rolling in.

  • Tolls are unfair - in most countries, tolls are paid on top of other taxes on roads users - so drivers are paying twice.

  • Tolls don't encourage fuel economy or distinguish between cars with different fuel consumption or using "greener" fuels. They may lead to more wasted fuel as drivers detour and take longer routes to avoid tolls. It is better to charge for roads through taxes on fuel as this helps to conserve fuel supplies by encouraging drivers to be more careful with their use of fuel and to car share etc.

  • Tolls cause some drivers to make longer journeys on less suitable roads which may increase congestion or increase the risk of accidents.

  • Tolls usually mean that vehicles have to slow down or stop. This is annoying for drivers. It also wastes more fuel, and leads to more accidents as the vehicles approach the tolls trying to get into a lane with the smallest queue and fumbling for cash. Fully electronic tolls reduce these harmful effects, but do not remove them; and in many cases there is a mixture of electronic and cash tolls which can cause more delays and accidents as drivers detour to get into the correct toll lane.

  • Tolls are often privately run, and even where they are not there is a great temptation to cash in by selling the toll money making machine. Private operators and their bankers usually make large profits. It is cheaper to pay for roads through either taxes or Government borrowings (which are eventually repaid through taxes).

  • If there are two areas, one with tolls and the other without, then businesses and tourists will prefer the area without tolls. So tolls are usually bad for local businesses and for those who live in or near a tolled area.

  • Tolls, particularly on river crossings, divide communities and create a "wrong side of the tracks".

    • BITS AND PIECES

  • Etymology:-
    Toll is derived from the Greek word "telos" meaning "tax".
    In translations of old sources (e.g. in the Old Testament at Ezra 4.13 and 7.24), it is difficult to know whether the words translated as "toll" were a tax related to the use of the road or some other charge or tax.
    There are two references in Geneseis to "possessing the gate of your enemies" - at 22.17 (told to Abraham) and 24.60 (told to Rebecca). During the 1840s there were attacks on Toll gates in South Wales. The attackers dressed as women and were known as "Rebeccas".
    Another old reference is Magna Carta which says: - "All merchants shall have safety and security .... for buying and selling free from all evil tolls"
    More history and background:- Wikipedia

  • Trolls:-
    In fairy tales "tolls" to cross bridges are collected by "trolls". Trolls are nasty creatures, but can be killed if exposed to light! Modern day trolls are some politicians, big business interests and tollocrats. They can't resist all that easy money and being able to push drivers around.
    Small New England town invaded by trolls   Three Billy Goats Gruff   Kangaroo Court.

  • Our theme song! C.W. McCall's (really Bill Fries) 1976 hit "Convoy":- "Well we laid a strip for the Jersey shore
    Prepared to cross the line
    I could see the bridge was lined with bears
    But I didn't have a doggone dime
    I says Pigpen this here's the Rubber Duck
    We just aint gonna pay no toll
    So we crashed the gate doin' ninety-eight
    I says Let them truckers roll, ten-four"     LINKS
    Only links to anti toll organisations are shown here, there are numerous other links in context on other pages.

    Alltolled (Indiana)
    Association of British Drivers
    Automobility & Freedom (a lecture)
    Citizens Against Tolls (New Jersey)
    Count us!(against Indiana road sales)
    Eradicate Tolls (North Carolina)
    Grand Island Tolls (New York)
    Highway Robbery Inc (New Zealand)
    Humber Toll Action
    Manchester Against Road Tolls
    Mersey Tunnels Users Association
    No Tolls on 540 (North Carolina)
    North East Against Tolls (Tyne tunnel)
    No Toll Increase (against Greenway toll increase)
    Save Our Assets NJ (against sale of New Jersey roads)
    Scrap the Tolls (Campaign by UKIP against tolls on Dartford crossings)
    Texans Against Tolls
    Texas Toll Party
    The Car Party
    Tolls Create Gridlock (Florida)
    TravelTax Org (website created by Peter Roberts who started the famous petition against road pricing )


    CONTACTS

    toll    		     Please contact us if you can help us in any way; or if you believe anything on this site is inaccurate or misleading, or have any suggestions, questions or comments.

    Email:     England     Scotland     Wales and Severn

    Phone (for media and other enquiries): 0774 269 5699

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