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Dartford Crossing Toll charge to go up by 50p (ed. up to 2.50 soon)

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Comments

  • Yep. All politicians are a bunch of lying, self serving, hypocritical shitehawks. I've never not voted in the 38 years that I have been eligible but not sure I will vote next time. I might just write all shitehawks on my ballot paper.
  • To be fair, Blair's government was more Tory than this one! Tories look after their own, always have and always will. The rest of us are there to make their mates rich.
  • During the consultation they talked about congestion charging, but in a previous consultation they stated the toll booths were the cause of the congestion. All a pile of shite.
    toll booths going in 2 years and cost up another 50p

  • New crossing is being mooted

    3 options

    1 - increase capacity at Dartford
    2- at Bean to tilbury
    3 - Maidstone across to Essex and joining up with m11 (via BoJo's airport in Sheppey)

    In a room of 50 people they did a poll to select the best route
    Voting was as follows
    1
    1
    48
    The councillor was genuinely surprised with the results as this was the first time
    they'd polled businessmen in the real world

    Option 3 is the most expensive
    Option 1 the cheapest

    I wonder what happens next......
  • Only use it about twice a year, so doesn't really affect me anymore. Used to use it on an almost daily basis. So glad I don't anymore...............................
  • They've got one more trick than a monkey.
  • Thats a disgrace.........as mentioned it was supposed to be free when paid for.
    I used to have a tag but ended up doing Blackwall after the A13 at Dagenham was sorted.
    There always used to be silly queues of an evening.
  • edited September 2012
    If I understand the article properly, they claim that the extra charge is to go towards the cost of a new crossing? It was my understanding that the QEII bridge was built with private money and, as already mentioned, was to be free once the outlay had been recouped. So going on this model, the new crossing should be free from the outset? But of course what will happen is the public will pay for the bridge and once completed the government will sell it to the highest bidder, waste the money, and the public will be charged again for something they have already paid for by way of tolls...
  • Hope they keep the local dart tag at 10p each way.
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  • Privatize all the main routes over UK and do away with road fund licence!
  • Yes, the government trying to recoup some of the debts run up by the last set of plums that were running the country. Whatever next? Do you want them to spend, spend spend?

    I must admit that I have a giggle when people quote 'sources' around CAFC, but -100% hand on heart- I genuinely have a very close source that made it very clear to me that the day the new cabinet 'sat down at their desks' so to speak, Osbourne and co almost fainted in shock at the total mess that was left behind by the last lot. Far far worse than they probably realised, and it is fair to say that Labour probably were delighted they lost the election to allow someone else to take the fall for clearing up their mess. And no, it wasnt as simple as saying the recession was a global event etc etc etc.

    Anyway, back to the tunnel. I dont drive to work, but my experience says that 50p a day increae (the first rise in 4 years) isnt really a great deal to get upset about, but I dont have first hand knowledge of how well run the bridge / tunnel is?
  • Big Rob, if you do that or add it to petrol which is my favourite solution you could also include a basic third party car insurance thus guaranteeing that everybody had a minimum of third party insurance, if you wanted more then you buy add on similar to now, simply solve all the uninsured driver problem and youngsters assuming they could afford the new cost of the petrol could drive legally.
  • BIG_ROB said:

    Privatize all the main routes over UK and do away with road fund licence!

    Similar to France, where you pay tolls on almost all the main roads? If that meant a reduction on road tax, then I am all for it. I think it is unfair for someone who barley uses their car to pay the same car tax as someone who is up and down the roads every day. The toll system means you pay for what you do so to speak. But you would have to be careful not to over penalise businesses that require the roads to make a living, other ways you are biting off the hand that feeds you. Tough one.
  • In fairness I don't use the tunnel all that often these days so I don't have a real problem with paying for it. I have a Dart Tag so I only at £1 so it is not all that much.

    However, I do get to the point of needing Anger Management with the outrageous queues that are always there. I haven't carried out a scientific study, but it is four lanes of motorway going through a tunnel (or over a bridge) with four lanes and the hold up always seems to be the tolls.

    Maybe they should introduce some leislation that once the queue gets beyond a certain point (say a mile) the tolls are all opened and it's free until they can reduce the queue. That way the private company that now owns the income from it would have to fix it or get no money.
  • Yes, the government trying to recoup some of the debts run up by the last set of plums that were running the country. Whatever next? Do you want them to spend, spend spend?

    I must admit that I have a giggle when people quote 'sources' around CAFC, but -100% hand on heart- I genuinely have a very close source that made it very clear to me that the day the new cabinet 'sat down at their desks' so to speak, Osbourne and co almost fainted in shock at the total mess that was left behind by the last lot. Far far worse than they probably realised, and it is fair to say that Labour probably were delighted they lost the election to allow someone else to take the fall for clearing up their mess. And no, it wasnt as simple as saying the recession was a global event etc etc etc.

    Anyway, back to the tunnel. I dont drive to work, but my experience says that 50p a day increae (the first rise in 4 years) isnt really a great deal to get upset about, but I dont have first hand knowledge of how well run the bridge / tunnel is?

    IMHO your first two paragraphs are not relevant. The claimed reasons for keeping the toll have nothing to do with recouping debts. The reasons cited over many years have been fairly fluid - originally it was to be dropped when the bridge had been paid for, then (under a Labour govt I believe) it was decided that the toll was a "congestion charge" (I believe that's still used as an excuse), now they're saying it's to pay for a new crossing.

    Didn't the current lot sell the bridge off, meaning it is now in private hands and therefore at least a part of the toll money is going into their pockets?
  • What I found interesting when I went on the dart tag site to put some money on my local residence scheme tag is that there is no mention of a price rise, and if you go to the traffic flow section, there has been a decline in traffic flow every year since 1998/1999, I use it nearly every day over that period and I haven't noticed the traffic getting better.
  • Its a bloody great con as assurances were given that when the bridge was paid for the toll would be removed. Its not lile you see anything for your money except ever increasing traffic jams to get through the crossing. I can't wait for the day when I don't have to use it.
  • Yes, the government trying to recoup some of the debts run up by the last set of plums that were running the country. Whatever next? Do you want them to spend, spend spend?

    I must admit that I have a giggle when people quote 'sources' around CAFC, but -100% hand on heart- I genuinely have a very close source that made it very clear to me that the day the new cabinet 'sat down at their desks' so to speak, Osbourne and co almost fainted in shock at the total mess that was left behind by the last lot. Far far worse than they probably realised, and it is fair to say that Labour probably were delighted they lost the election to allow someone else to take the fall for clearing up their mess. And no, it wasnt as simple as saying the recession was a global event etc etc etc.

    Anyway, back to the tunnel. I dont drive to work, but my experience says that 50p a day increae (the first rise in 4 years) isnt really a great deal to get upset about, but I dont have first hand knowledge of how well run the bridge / tunnel is?

    The same secret sources that said exactly the same thing in the press the day after your mates took over? Wow, I am so impressed with your inside knowledge.

    As Saga says, utterly irrelevant anyway.

    If you believe in either major party you are very naive.

    A good way to sort out the problem would have been to not give back 5 pence tax to their rich mates.
  • it doesnt say what Dart tag users will pay? is that going up 50p per visit as well?
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  • They desperately need to sort out an electronic payment system, as the current toll booths cause massive traffic jams, which apart from being very annoying is also very bad for the environment...
  • I'm surprised no one has mentioned that the Tesco meal deal has gone up from £2.50 to £3.00
  • Nothing to do with the increase, but Why can't they put in the same system that is used in Londodn for the congestion charge? No tolls, just simply picks up your car reg and bills you. Much easier. If you know you're going to be using the crossing, you can just book it online, as with the congestion charge.

    I would imagine this would virtually wipe out all the queues.
  • The thing I find really annoying is when you go through during the free period (10pm to 6am) you still have to stop and wait of the barrier. It's like they think we're all stupid and believe their blatant lie about the tolls not causing queues, but instead controlling the flow of traffic, and that if we were allowed to sail through the barriers during the free period we'd suddenly twig it's a lie.
  • it doesnt say what Dart tag users will pay? is that going up 50p per visit as well?

    I'd say that the overall costs of using the Dart Tag system will go up by the same % as the tolls......?
  • BIG_ROB said:

    Privatize all the main routes over UK and do away with road fund licence!

    Saying that, I also think that the toll at Darrtford Crossing should be done away with, if that's what was promised before it was built.......
  • The thing I find really annoying is when you go through during the free period (10pm to 6am) you still have to stop and wait of the barrier. It's like they think we're all stupid and believe their blatant lie about the tolls not causing queues, but instead controlling the flow of traffic, and that if we were allowed to sail through the barriers during the free period we'd suddenly twig it's a lie.

    That's probably more a safety issue - they don't want HGVs hurtling through the (narrow) barriers at 60mph+

  • edited September 2012
    By the time they approve/finance a new crossing at Dartford the only thing i will be driving is a mobility scooter anyway or be in the back of a hearse and I don't plan on getting planted in Essex anyway!
  • I'm surprised no one has mentioned that the Tesco meal deal has gone up from £2.50 to £3.00

    i nearly fainted when i went in there at lunch.

  • F-Blocker said:

    The thing I find really annoying is when you go through during the free period (10pm to 6am) you still have to stop and wait of the barrier. It's like they think we're all stupid and believe their blatant lie about the tolls not causing queues, but instead controlling the flow of traffic, and that if we were allowed to sail through the barriers during the free period we'd suddenly twig it's a lie.

    That's probably more a safety issue - they don't want HGVs hurtling through the (narrow) barriers at 60mph+

    Would be simple enough to set up speed camera at the tolls, set to 10 or 20 mph. They could then actually make some money during the free period, win/win situation.

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