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Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - Smileyman

Something to grate all regular users of the Dartford Crossing (M25 Kent - Essex area)

Effective 1st October, the discount for cars is being reduced. No other prices are changing. The standard rate is £2.50 per crossing, discounted to £1.67 ... after October to be £2.00. It's not much, but still grates to know that the price of a crossing is going to be more, yet the delays and queues seem to get longer. Still no mention of abolished charges if the wait is longer than a predetermined length of time (I won't hold my breath) or start date for build of relief crossing further along the Thames.

Here is the explanation given ...(cut & paste from their email)

With over 55 million vehicles travelling over Dartford Crossing every year, there is an ongoing need to manage increasing demand at the Crossing.

The Government has also committed a further £10 million to reduce congestion at and around the Dartford Crossing. Highways England continue to work with local stakeholders, including Kent County Council, Dartford Borough Council and Thurrock Council, on traffic flow and safety measures that will be delivered over the next few years.

After nine years of operating a 33% discount for cars, the Government has reviewed how fairly the benefits to account holders are spread across different vehicle types and have aligned the Class B rate more closely to Classes C and D.

The new discount rate of £2.00 for Class B vehicles still offers road users a 20% reduction whilst making for a more equitable rate between different vehicle classes.

There are no changes planned for the discount rates for Class C and Class D vehicles or Local Residents Discount Scheme.

Edited by Smileyman on 15/08/2018 at 22:29

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - Theophilus

"Smileyman" ... soon to be "Angryman" :-)

Sorry to hear of your frustration - you have my sympathy

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - oldroverboy.

I have an account, not for the discount, but for the "Pleasure" of not having to worry about if i have paid or not. This week I had friends who travelled from Dover to see us and I just added their registration to my account.

If there was no discount i would still have a prepay account.

If i am off to Dover myself I get across before 6.oo am and it's free.

maybe they could start charging at night too.. HEY HEY!

Edited by oldroverboy. on 16/08/2018 at 10:51

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - Smileyman

I have an account, not for the discount, but for the "Pleasure" of not having to worry about if i have paid or not. This week I had friends who travelled from Dover to see us and I just added their registration to my account.

If there was no discount i would still have a prepay account

I've done the same for the same reason, but don't keep the balance of my money in their hands as a free loan at the £20 level they seem to want as a top up threshold.

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - John F

With over 55 million vehicles travelling over Dartford Crossing every year, there is an ongoing need to manage increasing demand at the Crossing.

Such a mealy-mouthed sentence in a total humbug of a letter. It is scandalous that there is a charge at all now it's paid for. The same could be said of the increasing demand at the A1 Clifton Bridges crossing the Trent - no toll was ever made for these. And why is it free at night - when I bet lots of foreign lorries with their tanks full of foreign fuel for their incursion use it? The Severn crossing isn't.

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - James2018

And why is it free at night - when I bet lots of foreign lorries with their tanks full of foreign fuel for their incursion use it? The Severn crossing isn't.

Xenophobe alert!

Its free at night to encourage the usage load to be spread. Its much better to have 2000 vehicles an hour over 24 hours rather than 4000 an hour for just `12 hours and very little for the other 12.

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - oldroverboy.

And why is it free at night - when I bet lots of foreign lorries with their tanks full of foreign fuel for their incursion use it? The Severn crossing isn't.

Xenophobe alert!

Its free at night to encourage the usage load to be spread. Its much better to have 2000 vehicles an hour over 24 hours rather than 4000 an hour for just `12 hours and very little for the other 12.

Hardly xenophobic... it is free from 10pm to 6 am...

I think the point about foeign trucks (and cars) is that many ignore the charge.

I had to smile 2 years ago, when the romanian tenant in my flat asked me to explain why he had several threatening letters about his , ignored it and then asked me only when he received the court summons. . I could just have told him to go to court and plead ignorance, but the Person dealing with it settled for the (much larger) fine.

And the signposting for the charge needs to be more visible and more often as it is easy to miss if passing a big truck and the signs on the road are hidden by the car in front... but tha's another thread.

Dartford crossing ALWAYS allow the first "error" to be paid for the minimum amount, but only once.

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - John F

And why is it free at night - when I bet lots of foreign lorries with their tanks full of foreign fuel for their incursion use it? The Severn crossing isn't.

Xenophobe alert!

Its free at night to encourage the usage load to be spread. Its much better to have 2000 vehicles an hour over 24 hours rather than 4000 an hour for just `12 hours and very little for the other 12.

Hardly xenophobic... it is free from 10pm to 6 am...

I think the point about foeign trucks (and cars) is that many ignore the charge.

Very true.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m25-chiefs-failing-to-e...t

I'm not xenophobic; international trade is good - but let's have a level playing field, e.g. buy a carnet on line or at the port for using our motorways, and link the card used to the number plate to claim any unpaid tolls. Hotels, car hire firms etc seem to be able to manage this, why not the DaFT?

I don't buy the 'spread the load' argument - only a tiny percentage will adjust their journey time for the sake of a couple of quid - and then only by an hour or two.

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - Avant

The Severn Bridges have been handed over to the Highways Agency by the company who fnanced them now that they've recovered thir costs in tolls - and tolls are soon to be abolished.

Anyone know the logic behind the failure to do this at Dartford?

Edited by Avant on 17/08/2018 at 23:41

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - FP

"Anyone know the logic behind the failure to do this at Dartford?"

In February 1999, it was announced by the government that the crossing would be free to cross by 2003, much to the excitement of motorists.

However, in 2001, the government backtracked from the original agreement under the Parliament in the Transport Act 2000, where it announced a toll would be put in place.

In a response to an Freedom of Information Request regarding the continuation of tolls in 2009, the Department for Transport said: "The original intention was to remove tolls when the costs of the Bridge had been recovered.

"However, traffic levels have risen far faster than projected and an earlier study has indicated that removal of toll charges would increase traffic levels by 17 per cent on 2003 levels."

(from tinyurl.com/y9559o5z)

The cynical amongst us might feel it has become a cash-cow for the government.

Edited by FP on 16/08/2018 at 19:01

Any - Dart Charge - Reduced Discount! - Snakey

Sounds like the Tyne Tunnel, prices go up whilst the service goes down.

Who owns the Dartford crossing? With the TT being privately owned profit is their only concern.