News release
17 January 2020
Mersey Gateway payments on time increase to record levels of almost 98% as PCN numbers fall
The latest Mersey Gateway figures show a 27.8% drop in the number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued compared to the same period in 2018.
They also show the highest ever payment on time rate – almost 98% and a new record monthly traffic level using the Mersey Gateway Bridge between Runcorn and Widnes.
The newly-released figures – which cover October – December 2019 – show:
- A 27.8% reduction in the number of PCNs issued compared to the same period last year (meaning 56,000 fewer PCNs were issued), which means more people are paying on time for their crossing
- Journey numbers increasing by 1.6% compared to the same period last year up to 6.1m journeys
- Almost 98% of journeys were paid for on time (either through their account or by midnight the day after crossing) ) – this is the highest ever rate
- October set a new record for the most journeys (2.16 million crossings) made across the bridge
Comparing annual figures for 2019 with those for 2018, it clearly shows that these improving trends are continuing. A record total of 24,259,262 journeys were made across the bridge in 2019 – meaning more than 2 million crossings are made over the Mersey Gateway Bridge every month.
Year on year:
- An additional 739,931 vehicles crossed the bridge in 2019 – an increase of 3.1%
- The number of PCNs issued decreased by 16.4% in 2019 compared to 2018
- An additional 43,091 journeys or PCNs were paid for online via the merseyflow website in 2019 compared with 2018.
The new merseyflow app, which allows unregistered merseyflow customers to make quicker and easier payments for one-off bridge crossings was launched in November and is already proving a popular way for crossings to be paid for. It has been downloaded over 6,000 times since it was launched, and is already being more widely used by customers than the Payzone system.
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “Both the quarterly and the annual figures are very positive. We’re really pleased that the percentage of journeys paid for on time is now at almost 98%, and we will continue to work hard to continue improving that figure as this of course will mean reducing the number of PCN’s issued further still.
He added: “I’m obviously delighted to see that the new app is proving so popular for occasional users of the bridge. The app is in its first phase at the moment and we are already developing new features to make both the app, and the merseyflow website even easier for people to use during 2020.”
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “The Mersey Gateway Bridge has been part of the landscape in the north west for over two years now and what’s clear, as traffic numbers continue to grow, is that more and more people are seeing that it means, easier, quicker and more reliable journeys.
He added: “As usual December shows a drop off in journeys as people enjoy time off work, but we expect that figures for 2020 will continue to show modest growth in traffic and we’re looking forward to seeing PCN numbers continue to fall.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, number of PCNs issued, payments made on time, total revenue and what percentage of this comes from PCNs.