2018 No. 1300
Highways, England
The M4 and M48 Motorways (Severn Bridges Charging Scheme) (Amendment etc.) Order 2018
Made 3rd December 2018
Coming into force in accordance with article 1

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 163(3)(d), 167(1)(a) and (2)(a), 168(1) and (2) and 171(1) and (5) of the Transport Act 2000 and section 9(1) and (2)(b) of the Severn Bridges Act 1992, makes the following Order.
2000 c. 38. Section 167(1)(a) was amended by the Infrastructure Act 2015 (c. 7), paragraph 126 of Schedule 1. Section 168(2) is amended by the Local Transport Act 2008 (c. 26), paragraph 4 of Schedule 5 and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (c. 20), paragraph 109 of Schedule 6. Section 171(5) is amended by the Local Transport Act 2008, section 112(1). There are further amendments to sections 163, 167 and 172 which are not relevant to this Order.
1992 c. 3.
Appropriate persons have been consulted in accordance with section 170(1C) of the Transport Act 2000 and regulations 11(3)(a) and 12(2) of the Trunk Road Charging Schemes (Bridges and Tunnels) (England) Procedure Regulations 2001. Notices have also been published in accordance with regulations 11(3)(b) and 12(1) of those Regulations.
Section 170(1C) was inserted by the Local Transport Act 2008, section 111.
S.I. 2001/2303.

1 Citation and commencement
1 This Order may be cited as the M4 and M48 Motorways (Severn Bridges Charging Scheme) (Amendment etc.) Order 2018.
2 Part 1 comes into force on 17th December 2018.
3 Part 2 comes into force at 11:59pm on 31st December 2018.

PART 1 Amendments to the 2017 Charging Scheme Order
2 The M4 and M48 Motorways (Severn Bridges Charging Scheme) Order 2017 is amended in accordance with articles 3 to 5.
S.I. 2017/1303.

Imposition of charges
3 1 In article 4(3), for “The charge imposed”, substitute “Subject to paragraph (3A), the charge imposed”.
2 After paragraph (3), insert—

“3A Where a vehicle is directed to drive directly through the toll plaza areas without stopping—
(a) by an appointed person within the meaning of section 23 of the Severn Bridges Act 1992, or
(b) in accordance with the indication given by a traffic sign,
the charge imposed for a given class of motor vehicle is determined by reference to column 3 of Schedule 1.”

.
4 For the table in Schedule 1 (Classes of motor vehicle and charges), substitute the table in the Schedule to this Order.

PART 2 Revocations

5 Revocation of the 2017 Charging Scheme Order
The M4 and M48 Motorways (Severn Bridges Charging Scheme) Order 2017 is revoked.

6 Revocation of the 2017 Tolls Order
The Severn Bridges Tolls Order 2017 is revoked.
S.I. 2017/1201.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport
Jesse Norman Minister of State Department for Transport 3rd December 2018
SCHEDULE
Classes of motor vehicle and description	Charge for each motor vehicle for a single journey from east to west under article 4(3)	Charge for each motor vehicle for a single journey from east to west under article 4(3A)
Classes A1 and A2 Motor cars and motor caravans	£5.60	Zero
Classes B1 and B2 Small goods vehicles and small buses	£11.20	Zero
Classes C1 and C2 Large goods vehicles and large buses	£16.70	Zero
Article 4

EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
Part III of the Transport Act 2000 authorises the Secretary of State to make, amend or revoke a trunk road charging scheme in respect of roads for which the Secretary of State is the traffic authority, and which are carried by a bridge, or pass through a tunnel, of at least 600 metres in length. The M4 and M48 Motorways (Severn Bridges Charging Scheme) Order 2017 (“the 2017 Order”) introduced a charging scheme in respect of the roads carried by the Severn Bridges (“the bridges”).
Part I of this Order amends the 2017 Order to reduce the applicable charges for using the bridges in an east to west direction. These amendments will come into force on 17th December 2018 and will cease at 11:59pm on 31st December, when Part II of this Order comes into force. Part I allows the applicable charge for using the bridges to be reduced to zero, once works to enable motorists to drive directly through the toll plaza areas safely are completed on or shortly after the 17th December 2018.
Article 3 amends article 4 of the 2017 Order, which provides the charges that are to apply under the charging scheme. The charges imposed will continue at the rate introduced on 8th January 2018 by article 4(3) of the 2017 Order until an appointed person or a traffic sign direct vehicles to drive directly through the toll plaza areas, rather than via a toll booth, at which point the charges imposed will be reduced to zero. A new table is substituted for that in Schedule 1 to the 2017 Order and lists the appropriate charges applying to the three categories of vehicle under both article 4(3) and the inserted paragraph (3A).
Part II of the Order, at Article 6, revokes the 2017 Order at 11:59pm on 31st December 2018, at which point there will be no charging scheme applying to the bridges. Article 7 revokes the Severn Bridges Tolls Order 2017.
An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.