RHA sounds alarm over M4 toll road plans
Plans for an M4 toll relief road would cripple haulage businesses delivering into Wales and seriously damage the economy, warns the Road Haulage Association (RHA). The Welsh Assembly is currently considering the case for a toll motorway, similar to the M6 toll road in the Midlands, for motorists travelling between London, Cardiff and Swansea, and says no firm decision will be made until after environmental surveys have been carried out.
Critics such as the Friends of the Earth, have already Click here waded into the debate, arguing that widening the M4 would be a cheaper, more efficient alternative. However, RHA regional director Mike Farmer says there will always be environmental objections to new road-building plans. It is in favour of a relief road, but actively opposes putting a toll on it. "The M4 is the main artery into South Wales and it's not fit for purpose," explains Farmer. "It clags up each and every day. Lorries are already paying £15.90 to go over the river, and then to be hit by a toll would do the Welsh economy no power of good. It would also be more than a normal chap could bear."
