Dartford Crossing and numpties!!

[jimmyb]

This may have been covered before but..

Is it really that fing hard to read the fing great big boards over the toll booths which point out that the far right hand lane in both direction are for Dart tagged vehicles only.

Is it that the fing dumb sits cant read or do you think that maybe they are that arrogant that they believe the rules dont apply to them so they slow down all the rest of us who actually have tags in our cars so we dont have to stop and Ber around looking for a pound to pay for the toll.

I wish dart toll could put one of those numberplate readers in the tag lane and any car without a tag using it gets sent a ten quid fine for misuse. They would certainly learn fast enough then.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

[Kinky]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Off topic I know but .....

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

K

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

They were forced to drop the Dart name y'know, that's why they're also known as SP250s.

(a bit like the Porsche 901)

[-Z-]

jimmyb said:

This may have been covered before but..

Is it really that fing hard to read the fing great big boards over the toll booths which point out that the far right hand lane in both direction are for Dart tagged vehicles only.

Is it that the fing dumb sits cant read or do you think that maybe they are that arrogant that they believe the rules dont apply to them so they slow down all the rest of us who actually have tags in our cars so we dont have to stop and Ber around looking for a pound to pay for the toll.

I wish dart toll could put one of those numberplate readers in the tag lane and any car without a tag using it gets sent a ten quid fine for misuse. They would certainly learn fast enough then.

Ah but they're not, I use the dart tags, look closer next time; the boards rotate and they change status between "dart tag only" and "coins only" depending on how busy it is! so people who used it previously with cash probably just choose it again, not anticipating a change!

Edited by -Z- on Wednesday 5th March 21:45

[mogul]

-Z- said:

jimmyb said:

This may have been covered before but..

Is it really that fing hard to read the fing great big boards over the toll booths which point out that the far right hand lane in both direction are for Dart tagged vehicles only.

Is it that the fing dumb sits cant read or do you think that maybe they are that arrogant that they believe the rules dont apply to them so they slow down all the rest of us who actually have tags in our cars so we dont have to stop and Ber around looking for a pound to pay for the toll.

I wish dart toll could put one of those numberplate readers in the tag lane and any car without a tag using it gets sent a ten quid fine for misuse. They would certainly learn fast enough then.

Ah but they're not, I use the dart tags, look closer next time; the boards rotate and they change status between "dart tag only" and "coins only" depending on how busy it is! so people who used it previously with cash probably just choose it again, not anticipating a change!

Edited by -Z- on Wednesday 5th March 21:45

I was going to say the same thing.

Coins are accepted as well pretty much 24/7 but obviously Jimmy's having a bad day

[Mr Will]

Every time I have been across (admittedly I avoid going there at rush-hour) the Dart-Tag lanes have accepted coins as well, even when they are show 'dart tag only' on the overhead board

Maybe it has changed recently, hence all the confusion?

[jimmyb]

Mr Will said:

Every time I have been across (admittedly I avoid going there at rush-hour) the Dart-Tag lanes have accepted coins as well, even when they are show 'dart tag only' on the overhead board

Maybe it has changed recently, hence all the confusion?

They have always accepted coins I belive but I belive thats so it can be used as a normal lane. I however cant avoid rush hour sometimes and even in non rush hour as far as I am concerned it should only be tagged cars in that lane. When people use coins they interrupt the flow of traffic as the bar comes down while the machine decides if the muppet has put enough money in whereas with the tag it stays up as each tagged car comes along.

I mean WTF is the point of the system otherwise ( and dont tell me it saves you 7p per crossing whoopeee who the fck cares about saving 7p per crossing)

Edited by jimmyb on Wednesday 5th March 22:55

[Mattt]

Didn't the government claim that keeping the toll there reduces congestion?

[Pigeon]

There is probably a sufficiently high percentage of users who don't go that way more than once in a blue moon and haven't got a sodding clue what "dart tag" means, that the lanes will always be abused until they dump the stupid cute adspeak name and call it something sensible like "toll payment card" that everyone can understand.

[NiceCupOfTea]

It'll just get better once the new Congestion Charge comes in on the Blackwall Tunnel.

[Hooli]

its all these damn cars & trucks that have to stop in my way that are annoying. you pause for a sec on the bike, barrier goes up & off you go. paying the correct toll that everyone should pay too

[jondude]

Talking of the motorbikes, why don't they just open a narrow channel at the far left or right, then just let the bikes on their merry way? No need to stop, no need for a man or woman there.

Sure, the way it is doesn't cause tooo many delays, but it would save time, save biker's fuel ( less C02...very trendy !! ) and no doubt be a lot safer as it cuts down on all the darting backwards and forwards to find the quickest lane.

Bikers need to be in front of traffic and away. It can't be nice for them having to jockey for place with a million other cars which are all looking every which way but where bikers may be!

[Egbert Nobacon]

jimmyb said:

This may have been covered before but..

Is it really that fing hard to read the fing great big boards over the toll booths which point out that the far right hand lane in both direction are for Dart tagged vehicles only.

Is it that the fing dumb sits cant read or do you think that maybe they are that arrogant that they believe the rules dont apply to them so they slow down all the rest of us who actually have tags in our cars so we dont have to stop and Ber around looking for a pound to pay for the toll.

I wish dart toll could put one of those numberplate readers in the tag lane and any car without a tag using it gets sent a ten quid fine for misuse. They would certainly learn fast enough then.

As a Dart tag user I wrote to the Tunnel Operators about this and suggested that they remove the cash buckets on signed "Dart Tag only" lanes as this would discourage cash payers and speed up traffic. I also suggested it would encourage more people to apply for Tags (they are free) and thereby speed up the whole toll booth area (they work at all booths).

They wrote back stating that it was a deliberate policy to retain the option to pay cash at all the booths "to ease congestion" and did not think that a sole booth for Dart Tag would speed matters up !

Bunch of cretins.

You will also notice that they have removed some of the "Dart Tag Only" signs to "actively encourage more cash payers use of these lanes"

Common sense never has prevailed at Dartford, its highly unlikely to start now !

[kevin ritson]

I frequently use the DART tag lane and pay cash - why should I have to queue up for all the idiots that haven't worked out that A: there's a toll and B: it's a pound?

Before I set off I stick a pound coin in the ashtray of the work car or in my jacket pocket if I'm in the Lotus, so it takes less than a second. Can't see why anyone else can't work that one out. Amusing when you consider the other day I was stuck behind a DART user waving the tag around for half a minute.

Oh and why don't the idiots that run the crossing open up 4 booths (ie: free) and direct each lane through these when congestion gets particularly bad? It's not as if they're desperate for money, is it?

[DJFish]

jimmyb said:

Dart Tag rantage

I have a chum who always uses the Dart lane to pay cash, I can give you his contact details if you want to have a 1 to 1 rant at him.

The only time I ever tried that trick the bloody machine was so clogged with road filth the bloody thing wouldn't take my money and I had to do a sharpish reverse out of the Dart lane, lesson learned, don't go near them now, bloody witchcraft!

[AdamW]

Egbert Nobacon said:

As a Dart tag user I wrote to the Tunnel Operators about this and suggested that they remove the cash buckets on signed "Dart Tag only" lanes

What would you do if your Dart Tag runs out of credit and you have three cars behind you and no bucket in which to drop a £1 coin?

[Howitzer]

I came back from a trip away in the works van and went through the tunnel on Tuesday night. I got a coin and somehow dropped it and it fell down the side of the seat, never tobe seen again.

I could hardly stop in the middle of the road so went to the booth and asked the lady how I pay as I only have euros, so she said they took euro notes, I paid and was sent on my merry way.

Quite impressive.

Dave!

[clubsport]

You get some absolute to55pots at that toll,,,a couple of months ago there was some clown in a leary be-spoilered yellow porsche, Lhd, with 6 point harness done up,,,apparently he leant over, wound the opposite window down,,,tossed the quid and missed the basket!!!......quid rolled under the car....the clown then got out of the harness and scrabbled around under the car, holding everyone else up...Numpty is not the word!

[Vixpy1]

clubsport said:

You get some absolute to55pots at that toll,,,a couple of months ago there was some clown in a leary be-spoilered yellow porsche, Lhd, with 6 point harness done up,,,apparently he leant over, wound the opposite window down,,,tossed the quid and missed the basket!!!......quid rolled under the car....the clown then got out of the harness and scrabbled around under the car, holding everyone else up...Numpty is not the word!