Just too many people and far too many of the wrong type of personal transport!

"the Toll Road has totally failed to divert traffic".  This is untrue.  The large bulk of the 34,000 vehicles using it each day would otherwise be on the M6.  From my calculation, at 7 miles traveled for a litre of fuel (or, 4 litres used to motor along the M6 Toll), the toll charge is similar to what most motorists are paying in fuel for the 27 miles and the £11 charge for HGVs must be much less than their fuel used in the 27 miles.  Therefore, the charge is well worth paying for the fast diversion of the congested and often stop/start M6.

On the other hand, much of the road that runs parallel to the M6 Toll is restricted to 50 mph.  For cars, 55 mph in top gear is the optimum speed for maximum fuel saving and lowest carbon emissions.  But, stop start congestion on the M6 is not!

If a car's running costs are 44p per mile, the £5.50 toll is 48% of the running costs for the 27 miles.

34,000 motorists, I think, are very sensible in paying it.  I am one motorist who would not want to discourage them from doing so!  The M6 Toll is a great success for the 34,000 using it every day and they can easily afford to pay the toll when you take into account all the other costs in buying and using a car that are many times greater.  We all, somehow, manage to find the money to swan around in our cars but cannot, so easily, find the money for parking fees and tolls!

MEL, the owners are heavily in debt from the construction of the road.  They are also committed to paying £100m towards the construction of the link road to the M54.