Members of Parliament in Essex, Havering and Redbridge are being asked by Essex FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) to make a New Year’s Resolution to tackle congestion at the Dartford Crossing.
Essex FSB Chairman, Iain Wicks, said: “It seems that no Government can keep the promises it makes on the Dartford Crossing but we are hoping that the MPs in Essex, Havering and Redbridge will be willing to make a resolution they will then keep.
“The last Government promised that tolls would be scrapped once the QE2 bridge had been paid for and then decided they needed the tolls revenue more; now we see Roads Minister Mike Penning saying in November that the revenue from the tolls increase would be spent one asking congestion and then announce in December that the money will go into a national pool as the Dartford Crossing is national infrastructure.
“So this is a chance for our local MPs to make a promise to the businesses and residents they serve and then keep it!
“We understand that it will cost around £10 million to remove the toll booths and replace them with technology to allow people to pay the tolls electronically as happens with the London Congestion Charge.
“As the tolls make some £47 million profit each year that shouldn’t be a difficult amount to find so we hope we want to see this work commence early in 2011 so that the congestion which causes such delays for motorists and costs businesses an estimated £21 million a year can be removed.
“Research reports show that 45 per cent of the 150,000 vehicles which use the crossing each day are delayed for an average of nine minutes which adds up to 10,125 hours per day being lost which just using the minimum wage means a cost of £58.725 per day or £21,434,625 per year.
“Essex FSB has written to each MP in Essex, Havering and Redbridge asking them to make this resolution for 2011 and we hope they will accept the challenge!”
