For those that don't know, in November the people that run the Dartford Bridge and tunnel are increasing the prices for using the crossing during the day to £1.50 for cars

If you live in the boroughs of Dartford or Thurrock though you get the first 56 for free and the rest in the year for 20p a time:mad::mad:

On the plus side between 10pm and 6am, it will be free (an the plus side for them it means that they will save money by not having to employ a lot of people at night time)

A small conselation is that if you get a dart-tag (which costs nothing) you will get a 50p discount on the new toll price.

New Charges – the changes explained

Just a heads up for those that do not know.

I can only see this meaning longer queues for those that use the crossing. Think about it for a min, currently you only need a single £ coin to pay the toll and now you will need at least 2 coins. Now think of the queues building up as suddenly everyone starts giving £2 and now has to wait for their 50p change.

I can only see this meaning longer queues for those that use the crossing. Think about it for a min, currently you only need a single £ coin to pay the toll and now you will need at least 2 coins. Now think of the queues building up as suddenly everyone starts giving £2 and now has to wait for their 50p change.

or not having the right amount.

Pay them in pennies, and walk around the car like the foreign lorry drivers do, after parking half way up the bridge.

do the dart tags work on m6 toll road?

£1.50! That's crazy that toll system has paid for itself so many times over now, it should be free at night and remain at £1 in the day.

Very annoying!

quiet odd really, it rips people off by another 50p as most people use it during the chargable times while going to or from work and the shops etc. so then more people apply for a dart tag to get it back to 1 pound. so they have to make more tags all of a sudden which must cost them a few bob.

the only reason i can see is that when people put money on their tags the company must be making interest off that maybe?

at least when i come back from meeting a few mates over the river it will actually cost me a total of 50p less overall as i'll be coming back when its free

£1.50! That's crazy that toll system has paid for itself so many times over now

That's what I thought?

The toll was made to pay for the bridge which is now a money making business

In addittion , if you read teh small print , they will be useing Number Plate Recognition as a permanent fuction to track teh Cheep 20 p Dartford and Thurrock drivers , and all others ,so that they do not pass the dart tag on to a friend , Bang goes my 20p a day sharing option with friend in Thurrock . Will make it easy for the police to check all those uninsured drivers etc . Expect to see then pparked up on the exit bridge Essex side .

They already use ANPR at the toll booths to track tag useage.

Think you possible have to pay a £50 deposit for the tag aswell.

When i had mine you used to anyway.

do the dart tags work on m6 toll road?

Nope. Severn tags are different again too.

Used to use the Dartford crossing at least once a week when I used to drive to Adinkerque in Belgium and back and used to laugh at the toll booths as everyone floored it away to get into one of the 4 lanes! Had a 200BHP Rover 620Ti at the time, bags of fun edging Beemers out of the way!

Putting the price up like that is naughty though - still, I'd be 50p better off as it was always after 10.00pm when I returned!

When the tunnel was built they said that they will charge people to use it untill it`s paid off and then it will be free, what lying toe rags.:thumbdwn:

Used to use the Dartford crossing at least once a week when I used to drive to Adinkerque in Belgium and back and used to laugh at the toll booths as everyone floored it away to get into one of the 4 lanes! Had a 200BHP Rover 620Ti at the time, bags of fun edging Beemers out of the way!

Putting the price up like that is naughty though - still, I'd be 50p better off as it was always after 10.00pm when I returned!

Same after the toll booth on the M6 Toll, that fecker was £4.50 last time I used it iirc, ouch.

They already use ANPR at the toll booths to track tag useage.

well i used to use my girlfriends dart all the time, as she would be in the car with me. as far as anyones concerned if she was living within the thurrrock area and sitting in my car shes entitled to the cheap toll, via her dart tag.

i think thats where they will have issues, how can you use anpr when people are actively told to car share where possible these days!

Nope. Severn tags are different again too.

you would have thought they would all team together for one tag that can be used on all three as the money only goes to the treasury.

you would have thought they would all team together for one tag that can be used on all three as the money only goes to the treasury.

Only a bit of it goes to them. The rest is profit for the owners. :thumbdwn:

Heard back in 2004 that thebridge would have paid for it'self within 12 months.

So now, it's merely a cash cow, which takes the micky. Severn has another 5 or so left IIRC

is there a petition for these roads, im sure if they state how much is left to pay off and over how long that people wouldnt mind paying it knowing they getting if free later.

The bridge is now paid for, yes but the maintenance of the 2 tunnels bores due to their age is now a big problem.

The toll money is now used to pay for this maintenance, to employ the maintenance staff, to employ the staff that escort dangerous loads throught the tunnel, to employ the toll booth staff and other things.

The crossing was never going to be free, I would rather pay a small toll to cross it than be taxed through government to pay for all the repairs and ongoing upkeep.

Instead of maintaining the old tunnels, shouldnt they fill them in and build a new bridge?

Try crossing some of our toll roads in a truck, then you will know what expensive is!

i reckon the tunnel should be filled in too, when it is open it ends up getting shut because some idiot doesnt understand how to keep to his/her lane in the tunnel and then crashes.

Instead of maintaining the old tunnels, shouldnt they fill them in and build a new bridge?

Great idea, until you get weather like todays, and they close the bridge to high sided vehicles, what are you going to do then? Woolwich ferry? Blackwall tunnel?, go round the M25 other way?

Great idea, until you get weather like todays, and they close the bridge to high sided vehicles, what are you going to do then? Woolwich ferry? Blackwall tunnel?, go round the M25 other way?

I pull a low loader :P

I take it you always run empty then?