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Monday 10 January 2011

That Toll Bridge.

The Dartford one.

When it was first decided to have a Dartford crossing, the Criteria was that once it was paid for with a suitable profit for the builders it would revert to a free crossing.

Ministers said they would abandon the tolls - £1 for cars and £2.90 for trucks - when construction costs for the tunnel and bridge were paid off, but when the project went into profit in 2004 they remained in place.

More than 54 million vehicles use the crossings each year, contributing more than £60 million to the Treasury.

Not content about raising the cost of the Toll this year by 50%, they are now going to make even more money in future years.

The main problem with the crossing is the tailbacks at peak times, caused by the booths that extortionate  collect money on behalf of the Treasury.

However the government has a cunning wheeze. Yes, it will get rid of them  to ease the traffic flow, but replace them with ANPR.

And of course to pay for all this we the Cash Cow motorist are going to have the privilege of an increased charge of £2, rising to £2.50 next year.

Notwithstanding that they will be able to track the movement of 150,000 vehicles every day. Think what they can do with that data. (hopefully get snowed under).

2 comments:

  1. Now FE I have no sympathy. Unusual for me? Yes.

    If a wee bunch of Scots can defeat the big boys with regard to the Skye Bridge tolls, surely a group of Englishmen and women could do the same down there.

    The wee bunch won. Many had criminal records which were rescinded but they believed in forcing an international builder to keep to their contract agreement (similar to the one you speak of I think).

    Politicians will do nothing. The people have to.

    http://www.lochalsh.co.uk/skye_bridge.shtml

    I think it was the eventual success of the Skye Bridge protestors which forced the Scottish government into making all bridges toll free. People power did it.

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  2. This could be fun. There are bound to be errors - just wait for the summons to arrive, showing your car crossing the bridge, whan you know and can prove it was parked at home or work. With the inevitable bureaucratic incompetence, so many fines will be disputed that the system will be overwhelmed. Hooray!

    (Now for that LCD number plate I always meant to construct...)

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