THURROCK Council is to ask the government to reconsider some of its proposals regarding the payment of free-flow tolls at the Thames crossing.
Members of the cabinet agreed on responses to two government consultations on Wednesday (16 January) and urged local people to do the same – links to the consultations are available on the council’s website (www.thurrock.gov.uk and the TravelThurrock link).
Cabinet member for transport and regeneration, Cllr Andy Smith said the council was pleased that free-flow tolling was coming, but disappointed it would take until 2014 to implement.
And he said Thurrock was asking the government to reconsider the time allowed for people to pay the toll, “if you use the crossing at 7 at night, having to pay that day seems a bit quick”, he said.
The council’s response states: “Thurrock Council agrees that there should be a post-pay period to allow road users to pay the charge after using the Dartford Crossing. However, the Council considers that the proposed timeframe for payments is too tight, especially for those drivers who may be using the crossing late into the evening.
“The Council recommends that drivers are given up to midnight the day following using the crossing to pay the charge at the standard rate and then a further 24 hours for payments that will then incur the 20 per cent surcharge, or, as an alternative, within 12 or 24 hours of the actual crossing time.”
Speaking afterwards, Cllr Smith said: “We need the booths taken away and we need it now. Every week we wait means more congestion for our residents and our businesses as well as all the other people and industries which need the crossing to be congestion and queue free.”
I still can’t get my head round the fact that volume of traffic using the crossing is going down, but congestion is going up. The booths have always been there – and I do agree with removing them for free-flow and ideally free – but as traffic using the crossing decreases, congestion times should decrease? What’s going on?
I suspect it’s the type of vehicles using the crossing. So many large HGVs these days has an impact. It always frustrates me when I have to queue and then my DartTag lets me through quickly. Bring on free flow!
The main issue with the congestion is from the toll booths, if these were no longer in place traffic would move freely through the crossing, it seem that any normal person can see this apart from those in power.