New toll charges for Itchen Bridge

The toll charges for crossing the Itchen Bridge are changing

Prior to consulting on a toll increase for the Itchen Bridge, the administration resolved to maintain the Southampton resident’s Itchen Bridge discount at:

• £0.40 (peak periods)
• £0.30 (off peak periods)

Following the consultation on the Itchen Bridge proposals and consideration of the feedback, the council has now determined that the toll for standard users in Class 2 vehicles will increase from:

• £0.80 to £1.00 (peak periods)
• £0.70 to £0.80 (off peak periods)

The concession for electric vehicles will also be removed.

These changes will take effect from Saturday 1 April 2023. Any existing electric vehicle concessions can be used until they expire.

About the Itchen Bridge Toll

The Itchen Bridge was opened in 1977. As outlined in Section 22 of the Hampshire Act 1983, the toll is maintained both to secure the financial position and future prospects of the bridge and to control the composition and flow of traffic over the bridge, to avoid causing traffic congestion in adjacent areas.

The toll needs to be at a level that prompts drivers travelling from outside of the city to give meaningful consideration to their choice of route as well as ensuring the council maintains sufficient funding for future maintenance of the crossing.

It is unusual for a Local Authority to have sole financial responsibility for a bridge of this size, but Central Government does not provide financial assistance for the ongoing maintenance of the structure. Following a marked increase in inflation, the council has made the challenging decision that it is necessary to move forward with this proposal.

Residents living within the boundary of Southampton qualify for the resident’s discount on the Toll. Any resident who meets the criteria who does not currently have a Smart Card can apply for one. 

Electric vehicle concession

The electric vehicle concession was put in place on a temporary basis, as part of a package of measures to promote the use of electric vehicles as they began to emerge into the market. As this technology becomes more widely used, crossings of the Itchen Bridge by electric vehicles need to be managed in the same way as other vehicles in order to alleviate congestion along the associated routes.

The council is still maintaining the electric vehicle discount on parking season tickets for the time being.