The Australian group behind the M6 Toll today admitted for the first time that driver figures were well below expectations.
Macquarie Infrastructure Group, which has toll roads around the world, vowed that attracting stay-away drivers to the by-pass north of Birmingham would be its top priority for the next six months.
The corporation's business plan estimated between 45,000 and 70,000 vehicles using the road every day after two months, but Macquarie's six-month results show that only 37,000 vehicles a day in the first three weeks of February.
Stephen Allen, chief executive of the group, agreed that the M6 Toll's figures had been disappointing.
"It's at the lower end of where we thought numbers might be," he said.
In a statement the Macquarie group said: "The M6 Toll opened on December 14, 2003, on budget and ahead of schedule.
"The road and the systems are operating well and awareness of the road and its benefits has increased significantly.
"Around the opening there were more than 500 million opportunities to see or hear about the M6 Toll.
"The M6 Toll has marketing initiatives underway which include local and regional signage initiatives and direct engagement with road users, particularly hauliers."
The £10 fee for lorries rises soon to £11.
Geoff Dossetter, of the Freight Transport Association, said: "There is no dispute that the road is an attractive prospect, but until they come up with reasonable and affordable prices, haulage companies will stay away."
