Tuesday 13th November 2012

Snap! Now pay your road toll

Camera tech used to replace Dartford toll-booths will be designed for rollout across the country

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One of the main barriers to national road tolls just got lifted with news that the 'free-flow' technology that will replace the booths at the M25 Dartford crossing will be developed for use across the UK.

That traffic-snarling impediment on the southside of the Thames crossing will be replaced in October 2014 with cameras that'll snap each passing vehicle, much like they do within the London congestion charge.

You'll go online to pay for each individual trip, or set up an account. Don't pay and you'll get a fine in the post, currently proposed at between £35 to £105 depending how quickly you pay.

This is great news for those using the crossing, if you can get over your anger that the tolls to pay for the 1991 bridge were supposed to be dropped in 2003.

Cameras will snap each licence plate

But the camera tech won't just be used for Dartford, according to the Highways Agency. "We're seeking to future proof it to make sure if there were similar applications elsewhere they would be able to take the innovations and apply them," a spokesman told PistonHeads. "It would be a starting point."

The tender for the technology went out to private companies back in September, but it'll be owned by the Government to apply where they like, and without needing barriers or tags or any of the other expensive toll infrastructure you see on the Continent.

Road pricing is one of the proposals to replace the current VED, it emerged back in September, and the government is known to be mulling tolls to pay for the upgrading of roads such as the A14 in the east of England.

And just in case you're still thinking 'they wouldn't have the guts...', then the government has just released a consultation into the fines that would be levied if you drive past the cameras without paying. "One of the largest challenges in operating a barrier free or 'free-flow' operated road user charging scheme is gaining a high level of payment compliance," the consultation document notes. "Without both physical barriers and the provision to enforce, there would be little to ensure that road users complied."

So, of course, they're proposing fines, to the tune of £60, rising to £180 if you ignore their letters. According to the Highways Agency, foreign drivers who skip through would be chased by European debt collection agencies.

It certainly looks like charging is inevitable, which means we're all going to have to be very vigilant that any extra fees are accompanied by reductions elsewhere in the myriad taxes we pay.

[robinessex]

bks !! Keep to the promise of making it free

[robinessex]

Apparently, 4% of cars on the road are uninsured. The crossing had 150,000 vehicles per day. So where are they going to put the 6,000 uninsured cars then ??

[robinessex]

TonyHetherington said:

I have mixed feelings.

The impactless charging is fantastic. The queues (both clockwise and anticlockwise) even at non-peak times can be terrible, so this will be a great help.

However, I too remember the "it will be free once it's paid for" - all the way back in 1991. In fact, I rememebr my dad driving over the QEII bridge even before it was open (late at night they wanted to work on the tunnel).

It will never, ever be free as it's not owned by us any more. A French company, no less.

So yes, that the technology will be as such is good - and will work very well and conveniently. But it should be far less cost, and I'm sure I'll get a ticket when someone uses my number plate, just like they did in the congestion charge zone.

The French ownership signs disappeared from the toll booths over a year ago

Edited by robinessex on Tuesday 13th November 10:00

[robinessex]

Bad news I'm afraid, It's gone up to £2. And £2.50 next year

[robinessex]

fatboy18 said:

I don't know, I love driving my cars and Bikes but it just seems now that every other month the Motorist is being taken for even more money.
OK the idea of lifting the barriers on the Bridge 'seem' to be a good idea, but as others have also said, it then causes a whole lot of other problems on how you tackle the payment
Lets be honest here, this all comes down to the Big Brother is watching you scenario
I remember years ago my late dad got a automatic fine for parking his car in Eastbourne. He had never been there and someone had cloned his number plates In this wonderful country you are guilty until you can prove you innocent! The camera is always right because its taken a picture of your numberplate on a similar car!
Am I being negative about this, Er no I'm being honest! The arguments from Central Government will be, well it works for the Congestion Zone in London, so now we are going to roll it out across the country.

All the time if you look at your local roads you see more and more camera/ traffic monitoring cameras being put in place. I think its totally wrong, no one is telling you what all these extra cameras and monitors are for, (but we all know whats comming, right?)
But there seems to be no one representing the motorist who can lobby against any of this crap. ...Yes that means you to Haymarket and Pistonheads!

What it does mean is that anyone who does not comply to the correct format of a numberplate be it car or motorcycle will be even more heavily fined.
Oh and don't get me started on fkin Fuel duty

YES THERE IS. They're called The Association of British Drivers, ABD for short.

http://www.abd.org.uk/

All PH'ers should belong. Should be compulsory, so there !!!

[robinessex]

They need funds to fight the cause. That's 7p per day !!