Dartford toll free-flow system...(and increased payments)

Dartford toll free-flow system...(and increased payments)

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Discussion

Digby

Original Poster:

8,230 posts

245 months

Monday 3rd March 2014
quotequote all

roscobbc

3,306 posts

241 months

Monday 3rd March 2014
quotequote all
So what about foreign tourists who don't have the facilities to pay on-line OR anyone who doesn't have a mobile phone OR internet access - you can't exactly stop at a local shop to buy a ticket on the M25/M2 can you?

groomi

9,317 posts

242 months

Monday 3rd March 2014
quotequote all
So finally its become accepted that removing the barriers reduces congestion - thereby removing the continuous 'justification' for the tolls after the bridge was paid for, that they supposedly 'reduced' congestion.

And how are they going about implementing such a U-turn? By investing in a higher-tech method of collecting the tolls, and increasing the cost of the tolls in order to pay for it (and still make them a tidy profit ofcourse).

At least Dick Turpin was honest with his name...

Scousefella

2,243 posts

180 months

Monday 3rd March 2014
quotequote all
roscobbc said:
So what about foreign tourists who don't have the facilities to pay on-line OR anyone who doesn't have a mobile phone OR internet access - you can't exactly stop at a local shop to buy a ticket on the M25/M2 can you?
Foreign drivers I am not sure about but I would expect a version of the ANPR technology could be used for UK nationals - billed via the DVLA?

Just thinking out loud. laugh

Probably a load of ballix.

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Wednesday 5th March 2014
quotequote all
roscobbc said:
So what about foreign tourists who don't have the facilities to pay on-line OR anyone who doesn't have a mobile phone OR internet access - you can't exactly stop at a local shop to buy a ticket on the M25/M2 can you?
They can go and clog up the Blackwall Tunnel. wink

The charging system and penalties will work in pretty much the same way as the London Congestion Charge.
The only difference will be the creditor - the Highways Agency instead of TfL. Unless the subordinate legislation allows the HA to contract with TfL, which wouldn't surprise me as they have a suitable system system already in place and working.

Some info here - http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managi...

Humpy D

606 posts

194 months

Wednesday 5th March 2014
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Anybody know what is going to happen to people who currently use Dart Tag, more specifically are our charges to cross going to increase from £1.33 to £2.50?

TCEvo

12,622 posts

201 months

Thursday 6th March 2014
quotequote all
Humpy D said:
Anybody know what is going to happen to people who currently use Dart Tag, more specifically are our charges to cross going to increase from £1.33 to £2.50?
Nothing on the dart website about it; presumably the new system will work w/ the existing tag's though - although I always find that you have to get closer to the barrier than expected before the sensor identifies the tag. If it does increase for tag users to £2.50 that's a massive jump.

Gixer

4,463 posts

247 months

Thursday 6th March 2014
quotequote all
groomi said:
So finally its become accepted that removing the barriers reduces congestion - thereby removing the continuous 'justification' for the tolls after the bridge was paid for, that they supposedly 'reduced' congestion.

And how are they going about implementing such a U-turn? By investing in a higher-tech method of collecting the tolls, and increasing the cost of the tolls in order to pay for it (and still make them a tidy profit ofcourse).

At least Dick Turpin was honest with his name...
Not to mention their huge savings after laying off hundreds of staff. wkers. It's supposed to be free.

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Friday 7th March 2014
quotequote all
TCEvo said:
Humpy D said:
Anybody know what is going to happen to people who currently use Dart Tag, more specifically are our charges to cross going to increase from £1.33 to £2.50?
Nothing on the dart website about it; presumably the new system will work w/ the existing tag's though - although I always find that you have to get closer to the barrier than expected before the sensor identifies the tag. If it does increase for tag users to £2.50 that's a massive jump.
£1.66 would be a similar proportionate increase.

Dart website is indeed silent. However the answer can be found here - http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managi...

Cur­rent DART-Tag hold­ers will still be able to use their exist­ing DART-Tag when remote pay­ment is intro­duced and will not lose any credit from their exist­ing accounts. Any remain­ing funds will either be trans­ferred to the new accounts or refunded, as appro­pri­ate. If you need to do any­thing we will con­tact you before the changes.


TCEvo

12,622 posts

201 months

Friday 7th March 2014
quotequote all
Red Devil said:
TCEvo said:
Humpy D said:
Anybody know what is going to happen to people who currently use Dart Tag, more specifically are our charges to cross going to increase from £1.33 to £2.50?
Nothing on the dart website about it; presumably the new system will work w/ the existing tag's though - although I always find that you have to get closer to the barrier than expected before the sensor identifies the tag. If it does increase for tag users to £2.50 that's a massive jump.
£1.66 would be a similar proportionate increase.

Dart website is indeed silent. However the answer can be found here - http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managi...

Cur­rent DART-Tag hold­ers will still be able to use their exist­ing DART-Tag when remote pay­ment is intro­duced and will not lose any credit from their exist­ing accounts. Any remain­ing funds will either be trans­ferred to the new accounts or refunded, as appro­pri­ate. If you need to do any­thing we will con­tact you before the changes.
Thanks - any rise is unjustifiable IMO but appears that it's unavoidable.

contractor

919 posts

184 months

Monday 10th March 2014
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the site says:

Once remote pay­ment is in place you’ll be able to pay in advance of cross­ing, or up to mid­night the day after cross­ing. You will still be able to save up to a third on every cross­ing by set­ting up an account and keep­ing it topped up. You can top up man­u­ally, or auto­mat­i­cally as the bal­ance reaches a cer­tain threshold.

roscobbc

3,306 posts

241 months

Monday 10th March 2014
quotequote all
contractor said:
the site says:

Once remote pay­ment is in place you’ll be able to pay in advance of cross­ing, or up to mid­night the day after cross­ing. You will still be able to save up to a third on every cross­ing by set­ting up an account and keep­ing it topped up. You can top up man­u­ally, or auto­mat­i­cally as the bal­ance reaches a cer­tain threshold.
Its not really an account in the true sense as you need to 'load' the 'account' with money up-front - you are effectively funding the operation - your money in their account may not seem like a huge amount, but multiply it by the millions of users who could leave funds in the account for months and it is a very BIG earner for the p*ss taking b*st*rd operators. Londons congestion charge is far fairer (if thats not a contradictory statement in itself - lets not go in to that rip-off) as you don't need to set up a pre-payment account and funds are debited from your credit card as you use it.

TCEvo

12,622 posts

201 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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Presumably there'll also be an "admin fee" of sorts or fee for using a credit card as well. Bunch of thieving s punch

mneame

1,484 posts

210 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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The Blackwall Tunnel Route is starting to more appealing.

tigerzetec

68 posts

180 months

Sunday 16th March 2014
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Just read this,

So, they will make 150 staff redundant (saving paying out on salaries) then put the price up......

is this to cover losses on foreign vehicles not paying ???

Nice.

tigerzetec

68 posts

180 months

Sunday 16th March 2014
quotequote all
Just read this,

So, they will make 150 staff redundant (saving paying out on salaries) then put the price up......

is this to cover losses on foreign vehicles not paying ???

Nice.

Terminator X

14,920 posts

203 months

Sunday 16th March 2014
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What a wonderful invention anpr is, lots of amazing uses rolleyes

TX.

Cotty

39,389 posts

283 months

Monday 17th March 2014
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Its currently free from 10pm - 6am. Do you think they will keep that as this is suposed to be congestion related.

s p a c e m a n

10,752 posts

147 months

Tuesday 18th March 2014
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Back to sticking infrared floodlights near to number plates biggrin

TCEvo

12,622 posts

201 months

Wednesday 19th March 2014
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Cotty said:
Its currently free from 10pm - 6am. Do you think they will keep that as this is suposed to be congestion related.
Doubt it - as it'll be free-flow there will be no congestion therefore we should all pay all the time. s.