RESPONDING to the government’s announcement that residents of Thurrock and Dartford will be able to make unlimited trips over the Dartford Crossing for just £20 per year, Councillor John Kent, Leader of Thurrock Council said:
“It was down to the hard work of local Labour councillors and our two Labour MPs that we secured the first crossing discount for Thurrock residents back in 2007.
“Since then Labour has been lobbying hard for the scheme to be expanded and allowing people in Thurrock who regularly use the crossing without limits for just £20 will be a real boost to businesses and residents”
“Thurrock Labour has always been committed to making sure that the existing crossing works for residents in Thurrock.
“This goes to show that the campaigns of local people can make a difference to big government. I only urge government to continue to listen to Thurrock residents and the Labour party in Thurrock to make the Dartford Crossing work even better.
“That means bringing forward plans for free-flow tolling, getting on with improvements at Junction 30 and calling time on the ludicrous plans for a second crossing.”
Oh dear. Is there anyone left to jump on the bandwagon. The fact of the matter is most people want the tolls gone completely and neither the last Labour government of 13 years or the current Tory/Liberal government are going to do that. Yes this will benefit some people in Thurrock by saving them some money. If the glorious leader and the MP can stop preening themselves for a bit they’ll realise that what people really want is an end to the congestion on the roads, i.e. the tolls gone. So stop slapping yourselves on the back because neither party has given the people what they want and never will.
When I used to work at Dartford, it would have been a no-brainer, I would have forked out the £20, knowing that it would be far cheaper. However, having retired, I just make the occasional trip over to Kent for days out. Will I make enough trips to break even over the year – who knows.
Personally, I would rather they simply put a ceiling on how much I pay. Record the trips that the car makes, and when I have forked out £20 then make all other trips for the year free.
Ideally of course they should abolish the tolls all together, as was promised all those years ago when the crossing was first implemented.
I have just read on another story that I could pay just £10 for 50 crossings. I would obviously be far better off using that option. One question, does the £10 entitle me to the 50 crossing just within the year, or is it indefinitely?
How dare both Tories and Labour claim the credit for this, it was all down to me, I made it happen so there……………………………. well I may as well take credit along with every other Tom Dick & Harry 🙂
The Doove – £10/year. + 20p any extra. Details on http://www.dart-tag.co.uk/nossl/index.php?page=lrscheme
To The Doove
No your £10 covers you for 50 crossings (20p each) in a year only, you lose the jorneys you dont use. You dont lose any £ credit but you do have to pay £10 every year or return the tag or pay a £15 ‘service charge’ (fine).
The new £20 unlimited crossings is great if you work regularly in Kent. Otherwise if you shop 2 or 3 times per year at Bluewater, go see Nan in Broadstairs and Ken in Margate once a year and go on holiday via Dover/Eurotunnel thats just 12 crossings a year (crossing there and crossing back per trip) and you pay not 20p a crossing but 83p. Still a good saving
but not quite the bargain of year. Go to Kent only twice a year and thats £2.50 a crossing! 50p extra at present rates, ie not worth it.
Better to delete £10 for 50 when the £20 unlimited comes in. Instead £5 for 25 or even 20 crossings would be a much better arrangement for most of the non working-across-the-river residents of Thurrock and Dartford
Remember single tolls go up again to £2.50 in 2014 when they dont have to pay for the toll collectors any more (???).
Thanks Fred and Millard. There is no way I will be making 25 excursions into Kent in a year, so I’m guessing £10 is my best bet being half of the £20 option.
Yes I’m sure that is your best bet as things stand, if theres no way you’l make 25 crossings then you wont make 50 by an even bigger margin. Thats why I think the £10 choice will be an inappropriate alternative, when the £20 kicks in for those working across the river 5 days a week.
Its not made at all clear in the scheme details, but in a year costing £10,
50 crossings [~once a fortnight] are 20p each, 20 [~once a month]: 50p each, 10: £1 each, 8: £1.25 each, 6: £1.67 each, 4: £2.50 each
Am I wrong, but was it not J,D,P who had been fighting for this for her residents!!