Dartford Crossing

[Steve61]

Originally Posted by wutang

And to help pay for the new lower thames crossing going in near it (which will also be a toll Crossing!!)

It does make you think that they don't want us Sarf Lunneners messing up the north... :-)

[Plezier]

Originally Posted by Jordan Apex

It's publicised on the road in concern... you can pay after much like the congestion charge... as for your idea of avoiding payment, it is automated so they will just send the fine to the registered keeper...

Actually there are legal issues with them gathering the information from DVLA I believe. Also I was suggesting that many cars arrive on one day with no electronic means to pay thier extortion. This would cause a huge hold up and would gain their attention at least for a short while as I doubt those responsible have an attention span or more than a few seconds unless it's on how to claim more expenses or line thier own pockets.

The fact that they already have collection agencies engaged just shows it's about greed and nothing more on their part. They on about par with the parking parasites.

[Jordan Apex]

Good luck finding enough people willing to boycott the payment, I agree it is just greed, no way it can be anything else, it's paid for itself and the money made far outweighs any costs to maintain it!

[bl52krz]

Originally Posted by Steve61

There is serious talk about tolling the Blackwall soon as well..
to 'Manage traffic floews effectively'

What a load of cobblers that is. Why dont they just say"We are going to screw you for everything you have got if you have a motor vehicle". Rant over. For five minutes.

[bl52krz]

Nothing really to do with the souf or norf. They want to screw us all. When this government said they were going to do toll roads that lead up to the M6, all my friends said what we should do is just get hundreds of people to drive up to the booth and say sorry i have got no money, do you mind if i drive on the road i have already paid for many times over, and just refuse to pay. All get arrested? What for? Driving on the road i and many others have paid for. Get knotted. Really makes my blood boil, but if people dont all stick together we will be paying for everything twice. Thats capitalism.Ask the Bank Managers.

[mamasboy]

I use dartford twice a week, Friday afternoon and Sunday evenings.
Since the new cash free system I have not had to queue once to cross Southbound on a Friday. During the summer I would wait a min 30mins but often 45mins to cross.
I have a dart account and it is around £1.63 per crossing so it's now cheaper as well (1/3rd discount for account holders).

Yes there is a bit of a kerfuffle in that it will be springtime before the booths are fully removed but it's progress.
For the once a year crossing folk it will probably seem un-necessary but for the regular commuter it's a god-send. The cost for me was never the issue it was the extra time it added to my trips. Probably cost more on wasted fuel than the cost to cross.

[Greeners]

Originally Posted by wutang

The toll crossing is actually still government owned BUT the government sold a ten year licence to operate the crossing to SANEF the company who operate the French motorways.

Not true....the govt sold off the M25 and dartford crossing about 6 years ago in a £6.5Bn contract. The company I work for now "owns" and maintains it.

The Contract to collect the tolls is just that, they electronically collect the money and it goes straight to the treasury.

There's a good reason why the boots and barriers are still in place, there is a huge amount of works to remove the booths, realign the road and replace the technology that ran the existing signals and signs.

So the barriers are still in place to regulate the flow of traffic, especially into the tunnels, as they have to be able to hold the traffic in the event of an incident and the escorted runs.

Once work is completed in the spring, save a few over height lorries, it should be much improved.

[wuzerk]

Originally Posted by Steve61

There is serious talk about tolling the Blackwall soon as well..
to 'Manage traffic floews effectively'

Yes, they propose to build another tunnel near the present one using the same approach road ,which is gridlocked almost every morning already, and will then charge for using the Blackwall and the new tunnel!

[jim lee]

This issue goes right back to the opening of the very first Dartford Tunnel, in 1962 I think. At that time I lived in Dartford and well remember driving through the first tunnel on the day it opened. Yes, I was young and I am now old. The fee was 2/6d (12.5p !!!). That I remember well, because we thought it was extortionate at the time.

At the time 'The Authorities', whoever they were, promised the toll would be scrapped once the cost of building the tunnel had been covered. Where have we heard that one before, and since.

The bottom line is, once The Treasury has become accustomed to a steady inflow of funds it cannot then do without them, from wherever they come. Either we are willing to become involved in good old fashioned mass civil disobedience, perhaps along the lines of Ghandi in India and his salt tax protest (which was hugely successful), or we will just have to grin and suffer.

Simply do not believe politicians when they promise a Tax will be removed at some unspecified date in the future - it WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

[RPWC]

I use the crossing maybe 4 times a year each way so 8 crossings in total. I would be using it on my way to Dover and returning home after taking a coach down for the ferry,so now would it work for the limes of is coach drivers? Is it a pre pay scheme or does the coach company get billed,cos I can't use my phone to pay as like Kevin,it has no internet ,it's just a phone