Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Severn Bridge Tolls Order 1989 and shall come into force on 3rd December 1989.

Revocation

2.  The Severn Bridge Tolls Order 1985(3) is hereby revoked.

Interpretation

3.—(1) In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires–

“the Act” means the Severn Bridge Tolls Act 1965;

“Class I” and“Class II” means respectively the classes of traffic so numbered in Schedule 4 to the Highways Act 1980(4);

“goods vehicle”,“motor vehicle”,“trailer”,“unladen weight” and“wheel” have the meanings respectively given in regulation 3(2) of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986(5);

“motor cycle” means a mechanically propelled vehicle having less than four wheels and, in a case where a cabin is provided, the cabin is not constructed so as to enclose the driver and any passenger;

“The Severn Bridge road” means the new road as defined in section 1(4) of the Act;

“the specified carriageways” has the meaning given in section 1(3) of the Act;

“toll” means a toll leviable under the Act.

(2) For the purposes of this Order an articulated vehicle (that is to say a motor vehicle with a trailer attached thereto by partial superimposition in such a way as to cause a substantial part of the weight of the trailer to be borne by the motor vehicle) shall be treated as one motor vehicle.

Vehicles in Respect of which Tolls are to be Levied

4.  Subject to article 7 below, every motor vehicle of Class I or Class II using the specified carriageways shall be a vehicle in respect of which tolls are to be levied under the Act.

Amount of the Tolls

5.  The tolls to be levied for each occasion on which any vehicle in respect of which tolls are to be levied under the Act, whether travelling eastwards or westwards, uses the whole or any part of the specified carriageways shall be:

(i)£2.00 where the vehicle is a goods vehicle having an unladen weight exceeding 1.525 tonnes or is a passenger vehicle adapted to carry more than 16 passengers;

(ii)£1.00 in any other case.

Power to Compound in Advance for the Payment of Tolls

6.—(1) Any person may on application to and with the agreement of the Avon County Council as agents for the Secretary of State compound in advance with the said Council for the payment of tolls leviable under this Order.

(2) If the said Council make any such agreement they shall issue prepaid vouchers to any person so compounding in books each consisting of 50 vouchers.

(3) Payment of tolls under any composition agreement entered into under the preceding provisions of this article shall be made in advance at the following rates:

(i)£40.00 for a book of £1.00 vouchers;

(ii)£90.00 for a book of £2.00 vouchers.

(4) All other terms of any such composition agreement shall be the same for every person in like circumstances.

Vehicles Exempted from Payment of Tolls

7.  All vehicles of the descriptions specified in the Schedule to this Order (notwithstanding that they are vehicles such as are mentioned in article 4 above) shall be exempted from the payment of tolls.

THE SCHEDULEDESCRIPTIONS OF VEHICLES EXEMPTED FROM PAYMENT OF TOLLS

1.  Any motor cycle (whether with or without side car).

2.  Any vehicle belonging to a fire authority and being used in the discharge of the functions of such authority under the Fire Services Acts 1947 to 1959(6).

3.  Any vehicle being used for the purposes of a police authority or Her Majesty’s Prison Service.

4.  Any ambulance or other means of transport being used for the purposes of the ambulance services provided by the Secretary of State in the performance of his duty under section 3(1)(c) of the National Health Service Act 1977(7).

5.  Any vehicle being used in connection with the levying of tolls, or with the inspection, maintenance, repair, renewal or improvement of, or the provision of additions to, the Severn Bridge road (including any part of it and any structure, works or apparatus in, on, under or over it).

6.  Any westbound vehicle which, as a direct result of having broken down on the westbound specified carriageway, enters the eastbound specified carriageway travelling eastwards but not under its own power.

7.  Any vehicle which, by virtue of section 7(2) of the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971(8), is not chargeable with any duty under that Act.

8.  Any vehicle which is being driven by a disabled person or which is being used for the carriage of one or more disabled persons, and which displays a disabled person’s badge issued under and in accordance with the provisions of section 21 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970(9).

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This order has the effect of increasing the Severn Bridge tolls so that (with the exemptions referred to in article 7 and subject to the provisions for compounding tolls in advance in accordance with article 6);

(a)a toll of £2 is payable in respect of a goods vehicle having an unladen weight exceeding 1.525 tonnes and for a passenger vehicle adapted to carry more than 16 passengers; and

(b)a toll of £1.00 is payable in respect of any other vehicle.

No separate toll is leviable on a trailer, but where a trailer forms part of an articulated vehicle, the trailer and the drawing vehicle are treated as one motor vehicle for the purpose of determining the appropriate rate of toll.

This Order revokes and replaces the Severn Bridge Tolls Order 1985, which, with exemptions, and provisions for compounding at a discount rate of 10% for all vehicles, set (a) a toll of £1 payable in respect of a goods vehicle having an unladen weight exceeding 30 cwt and for a passenger vehicle adapted to carry more than 16 passengers, and (b) a toll of 50p payable in respect of any other vehicle.