Dartford Crossing

alanjay · 17th December 2014, 22:34

In order to attend next Sunday's Halfway House meet I've been on line to buy a return ticket for the Dartford Crossing.

This involves a 60p price rise since last visit "to cover cost of removing toll booths and speed up the crossing".

All well and good but apparently ongoing work in removing the toll booths will result in longer delays than usual.

IMHO they should have delayed the price rise until they could deliver the faster crossing time, or better still, kept the promise that it would be free once the tolls had recovered the cost of building it.

Jordan Apex · 17th December 2014, 22:36

Our drivers at work go over it everyday, all of them come back looking defeated for the same reason, they don't have to pay for it but the sheer stupidity of it is the hardest part of their day! Oh and they do some hard work when the lorry stops!

wooly12345 · 17th December 2014, 23:03

I was there last week, the variable speed traps are the possibly the stupidest invention this decade!!! I couldn't face doing that on a daily basis give the m62 anyday. The mersey tunnel also stated it would be free once it was paid for, thats just a con that all councils use to get you to start paying for something then realise its a cash cows (speed camera's are a good example, the government have no objective analytic data that they save lives but they are in certain roads very profitable e.g there are 2 speed cameras leaving warrington but none entering why is that???

Rant over.... night chaps

Snetty · 18th December 2014, 03:16

The Dartford crossing is now privately owned so will never be 'totally free' however during the night there is no charge.
As for the 'smart motorway' taking away the hard shoulder at busy times is an accident waiting to happen, the lanes seem to have become narrower too. The roads are overloaded.
As for the worst stretch of road I would say M6 between junction 4 to 19.

oldcarguy · 18th December 2014, 08:27

I will be travelling to Dartford on Saturday but will be going through Blackwall tunnel.

Steve61 · 18th December 2014, 09:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldcarguy

I will be travelling to Dartford on Saturday but will be going through Blackwall tunnel.

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

wutang · 18th December 2014, 08:41

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.

It should have had the toll booths removed in about 2003 but Dartford borough council had to take legal action to even get the money that was promised to refurb the local station in greenhithe that was promised as part of the bridge building plan! that only got done a couple of years ago.

If you will use the toll more than once or twice a year you are better off opening an account, it is cheaper. or if you live near it get the local residents discount.

grivas · 21st May 2017, 15:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snetty

The Dartford crossing is now privately owned so will never be 'totally free' however during the night there is no charge.
As for the 'smart motorway' taking away the hard shoulder at busy times is an accident waiting to happen, the lanes seem to have become narrower too. The roads are overloaded.
As for the worst stretch of road I would say M6 between junction 4 to 19.

ALL motorways in Britain are hardly fit for purpose, designed and built in the sixties with little forward thinking, now trying to make improvements at huge costs with little effect, as for driving on stretches where the hard shoulder is turned into a traffic lane is nothing more than an accident/ catastrophy waiting to happen I agree. The answer is very simple and yet very painful, I would stop ALL articulated lorries using the motorways, I would make all motorways pay as you use, paid at the end of each journey for ALL users, overseas business users will also be charged heavily, I will introduce a driving test resit at age 75 for ALL drivers anyone failing will have to take a training course, and retest, failure to pass here will mean loss of license for 12 months. I would make full use of technology and so=called smart motorways to monitor driving styles and lane use, ensuring lane discipline, drivers staying in so called fast lane over a given time period, which will be variable to suit, will be fined, and get points on license, I will BAN use of mobile phones in cars, offenders will be fined heavily and required to retake test. These little things will make our motorways more usable. Then I will go to Japan and find out how to build railways fit for the 21 century, and will built a modern transport system so people don't have to use their cars for every trip they make, again our public transport is a joke, slow, slow, slow, expensive, dirty, and obsolete.

wraymond · 21st May 2017, 17:08

No offence intended but I am just a bit relieved you now live on Mars.

Polly · 19th December 2014, 19:31

Ah I think I understand now. As someone fortunate enough to never be anywhere near Dartford, maybe I can explain.
Think of it this way: In order to save costs your local petrol station has decided to install "pay at the pump" petrol pumps, unfortunately these are expensive, so they increase the price of fuel in order to pay for them, and while they doing the changeover there will only be one operative fuel pump so obviously there will be long delays, but don't worry about it, because after the new pumps are installed the company will make a massive profit and (nearly) everyone will be happy😳

17th December 2014, 22:34	#1
alanjay Passed Away Rover 75 Connie Tourer Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Guildford Posts: 2,582 Thanks: 682 Thanked 979 Times in 612 Posts	Dartford Crossing In order to attend next Sunday's Halfway House meet I've been on line to buy a return ticket for the Dartford Crossing. This involves a 60p price rise since last visit "to cover cost of removing toll booths and speed up the crossing". All well and good but apparently ongoing work in removing the toll booths will result in longer delays than usual. IMHO they should have delayed the price rise until they could deliver the faster crossing time, or better still, kept the promise that it would be free once the tolls had recovered the cost of building it.

17th December 2014, 22:36	#2
Jordan Apex This is my second home Jaguar XFR 2011MY Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Harlow Posts: 6,363 Thanks: 19 Thanked 816 Times in 759 Posts	Our drivers at work go over it everyday, all of them come back looking defeated for the same reason, they don't have to pay for it but the sheer stupidity of it is the hardest part of their day! Oh and they do some hard work when the lorry stops! __________________ Now sold! http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/x...psd81417f5.jpg

21st May 2017, 17:08	#9
wraymond This is my second home 75 Auto 2.5 SE Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Westcliff on Sea Posts: 5,195 Thanks: 423 Thanked 1,680 Times in 1,014 Posts	No offence intended but I am just a bit relieved you now live on Mars. __________________ member no. 235

19th December 2014, 19:31	#10
Polly Posted a thing or two MG ZT 260 SE, ZS120, ZR105 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Peterhead Posts: 1,375 Thanks: 203 Thanked 350 Times in 241 Posts	Dartford Crossing Ah I think I understand now. As someone fortunate enough to never be anywhere near Dartford, maybe I can explain. Think of it this way: In order to save costs your local petrol station has decided to install "pay at the pump" petrol pumps, unfortunately these are expensive, so they increase the price of fuel in order to pay for them, and while they doing the changeover there will only be one operative fuel pump so obviously there will be long delays, but don't worry about it, because after the new pumps are installed the company will make a massive profit and (nearly) everyone will be happy😳

17th December 2014, 23:03	#3
wooly12345 Gets stuck in Rover 75 Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Liverpool Posts: 610 Thanks: 98 Thanked 121 Times in 98 Posts	I was there last week, the variable speed traps are the possibly the stupidest invention this decade!!! I couldn't face doing that on a daily basis give the m62 anyday. The mersey tunnel also stated it would be free once it was paid for, thats just a con that all councils use to get you to start paying for something then realise its a cash cows (speed camera's are a good example, the government have no objective analytic data that they save lives but they are in certain roads very profitable e.g there are 2 speed cameras leaving warrington but none entering why is that??? Rant over.... night chaps

18th December 2014, 03:16	#4
Snetty Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Ingoldisthorpe Posts: 1,114 Thanks: 731 Thanked 415 Times in 274 Posts	The Dartford crossing is now privately owned so will never be 'totally free' however during the night there is no charge. As for the 'smart motorway' taking away the hard shoulder at busy times is an accident waiting to happen, the lanes seem to have become narrower too. The roads are overloaded. As for the worst stretch of road I would say M6 between junction 4 to 19.

18th December 2014, 08:27	#5
oldcarguy Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Conn SE Tourer Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Driffield Posts: 1,952 Thanks: 27 Thanked 151 Times in 125 Posts	I will be travelling to Dartford on Saturday but will be going through Blackwall tunnel.

18th December 2014, 08:41	#7
wutang Posted a thing or two Rover 75 2.5 auto (LPG) & mg tf 160 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dartford Posts: 1,124 Thanks: 5 Thanked 39 Times in 36 Posts	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. It should have had the toll booths removed in about 2003 but Dartford borough council had to take legal action to even get the money that was promised to refurb the local station in greenhithe that was promised as part of the bridge building plan! that only got done a couple of years ago. If you will use the toll more than once or twice a year you are better off opening an account, it is cheaper. or if you live near it get the local residents discount.