An incredible two million people were given a fine in 2016 for using the Dartford Crossing without paying the toll. That equates to 5% of all drivers in the UK, according to new figures released by Highways England.
The bridge and tunnel system connects Essex and Kent both over and under the River Thames. It had human-operated payment booths until 2014, when a number plate recognition software (ANPR) system was introduced to track passing vehicles instead. Motorists now need to pay tolls online. However, it seems that millions of drivers are forgetting to do so, resulting in millions of unpaid tolls and resultant non-payment fines being issued and then chased by debt collectors.
Malfunctioning systems or deliberate avoidance?
Of those fined, over 200,000 have had their cases escalated and been faced with bailiffs chasing payments. Yet many, like one woman from Leigh-on-Sea, are adamant that they did pay the toll at the time. They are therefore fighting the fines.
The lady in question telephoned before making the crossing in November last year. The adviser told her that because she didn’t have an account set up to make the payment ahead of time, she should set up an account and pay when she arrived at her destination.
She took a short weekend break, passing over the crossing, and then signed up for the ‘autopay’ option on her mobile phone, thinking this would mean a payment was taken. Months later, she has received a bill in the post totalling £190.50, with no explanation as to what it’s for.
The letter came from a debt collection firm called Marston. The driver eventually deduced that it related to the crossing made months ago. The £115.50 fine was supplemented by a £75 ‘compliance stage fee’ – all for a toll that costs £2.50 (or £1.67 if you have an account).
The Dartford Crossing was originally meant to be a free crossing. However, it was announced in 2003 that a toll would apply.
The crossing made £161 million from April 2015 until March 2016, an increase of £61 million on the previous year. Nearly a third of the total income made from the bridge and tunnel system is from enforcement action – a staggering £53 million a year.
A fine problem
Highways England says that the fine for not paying for the crossing fee is £70, due within 14 days. If you pay earlier, it goes down to £35, but increases to £108 after a further 14 days has elapsed. After two months, if you still don’t pay, it can be sent on to one of three enforcement agencies. With automatic number plate recognition cameras all over the bridge and tunnel, toll dodging is impossible.
The driver in question argued that she entered her debit card details on the evening after making the crossing, showing she intended to pay. To make matters worse, previous communications about the fine were sent to her old address after she moved house in December and hadn’t yet updated her log book information. Thus, by the time she received paperwork about the matter, it had reached the debt collection agency level.
Electronic toll systems still flawed
This is just one example of an electronic toll system malfunctioning and leaving drivers facing substantial fines. The firms that operate tolls on UK roads and bridges want to move to fully electronic toll systems to make taking payment more efficient and save on the wage costs of manning toll booths.
However, current electronic systems still have flaws within them, preventing drivers from fully accepting and adopting them. This would explain why most toll roads and bridges around the UK still use cash payment, rather than a complicated online process. Examples of cash-collection tolls include the Humber Bridge, the M6 toll, the Mersey Tunnel and the Tamar Bridge in Plymouth.
In fact, the Dartford Crossing is the only major toll bridge in the UK that doesn’t accept cash. As this case shows, there are clearly still some faults to iron out in the system if the UK is to switch more of its toll roads to this type of system.
An electronic tag system, as employed by the M6 toll in the UK and the Sanef toll system in France, is a better approach. A sensible approach would be for Highways England to impose a universal tag across the UK, making it law that all vehicles (including non-UK vehicles as they arrive in the country) must carry a tag linked to a payment card to drive on UK roads. Toll companies could be obliged to adopt the system. Such a move would resolve all the issues for current and future toll road plans in one fell swoop, but the cost is likely to be the limiting factor in this idea.
What do you think of the Dartford Crossing debacle? Are you one of the two million drivers being chased for fines? What do you think is the best solution to resolve the problem of tolls across the UK? Is one universal system for all roads the answer? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The use of ANPR is all very well for collection of tolls (and indeed other reasons) but as the article suggests, the system is flawed.
In Wales we are advised the M4 2nd Severn Crossing is to revert to public ownership next year or perhaps a little later. !! The current method for toll collection is via a booth or annual pass, but this will change to ANPR, although it has been muted tolls will be scrapped.
My concern with ANY toll bridge which operates an ANPR system, cannot distinguish between those who are required to pay, and those who hold Disabled Blue Badges which enable such holders to use the toll for free. The problem being that not all badge holders have exemption from Road Fund Licence (RFL) and of course the card is registered to the person rather than the vehicle, which means any car being used by the badge holder is exempt from tolls.
As yet I have not been able to get clarification, but is has been hinted a booth for badge holders may be retained.
The US have ANPR systems for a lot of tolls now, which seem to work without this kerfuffle.
I have an account for Dartford as it happens so am probably not paying much attention when driving through the crossing… but on at least 2 trips I haven’t “seen” the signage about payment.
The previous Dartford Tag system was great as there was no ongoing fee. The tag system as used by the M6 toll is ridiculous, having a monthly charge.
[This comment isn’t intended to apply to locals or drivers who regularly use this toll road]
If you’re not a regular traveller of that road and aren’t even aware that it’s a toll road until you get there, it’s very confusing.
I thoroughly admit it’s not practical to provide too much information to be absorbed by moving motorists, but I think that’s part of the problem… Drivers are moving and (should at least be) trying to concentrate on driving. But if you’re not aware that you’ve just turned onto a toll road, it’s too late.
From my recollection, there are overhead signs saying you’re on the Dartford crossing and it’s a toll road, and signs by the side of the road letting you know to go online and pay. And it should be that simple.
But nothing tells you how much the charge is, or when it applies. This information IS on the website, but maybe people assume it’s peak times only. Who knows? And – although this is immaterial to paying the toll – as I mentioned it’s too late by the time you’re on the toll road. You end up on it with no prior knowledge of if/when a toll applies or how much it will be.
Seeing as the system is ‘supposed to be’ so clever – the ANPR knows which cars crossed when – then you should be able to go onto the website, login to your account and it bring up a list of unpaid crossings and the money you owe. But it doesn’t do that. You login and pay and whether you owe money or not – it takes it.
Why is it necessary to pay on the day you cross? Why can’t you have 7, 14 or 30 days to pay, and just pay all your crossings in one go? They’ll still chase you for the money if it’s unpaid!
All-in-all it’s a VERY confusing process for the uninitiated, when it actually isn’t. Cross, go online and pay.
I used to live in Kent and used the crossing from time to time, paying in cash. I no longer live near there and have not needed to use that crossing since the change to cashless, although I was near there last weekend
I knew that something had changed because I had seen some signs on the M25. But I had no idea how it worked or that it was totally cashless. I am sure that if I had tried to use the crossing I would have been most confused trying to find the cash payment point – and confused drivers are unsafe. It seems motorists could not legally use this crossing if they do not have internet access or do not have a bank account or credit card. This is decidedly unfair, and I do not think it is progress.
How does the ANPR system cope with overseas visitors? I reckon they could get away with not paying.
I am concerned this system could be rolled out to the Severn crossing which I do use frequently. I think this system should not introduced if it does not have facilities to check what crossings it thinks you have made, and what it has charged you – rather like TFL has for the contactless payment system on the London Underground. Otherwise what quality assurance arrangments are in place to check and verify that the system is working correctly? We need verification that it does not charge people who should not be charged, and correctly charges people who should be charged, and does not fine them when it makes a mistake.
Thanks for publicising this!
I had no knowledge of the change to auto tolls. I use the bridge about twice a year on average but I ASSUME I have not used it since the change!
Bonkers to do away with cash tolls! Why di they just not advertise that it is half the cost for an anpr toll compared to cash and leave in 3 or 4 cash tills?
Peter
Norwich
My wife (the boss) & i have just read this article & ill informed comments with great interest.
Firstly, the toll was originally put there to pay for the building of the tunnel until sum crooked bright spark in government (as they all are) thought, just a minute this is a good money maker, (we’ll go back on our word, nothing new there!) we’ll keep this on.
As for signs, there are clear signs for about 1 to 2 miles before the tunnel notifying of when & how to pay, also when you log on, it does not tell you how much you owe, only how much would you like to pay! The person who designed that system obviously didnt work in Nasa to help put Neil Armstrong on the moon.
Now about an ill informed comment by R Williams, sorry to have to tell you sir or madam, but this but i speak from being a blue badge holder, & at the Dartford crossing there is no allowance for it!
Now as for all the “incredible 2 million people” that were given a fine in 2016 for not paying their fines, we would estimate that probably three quarters of those are either foreign drivers, on holiday or regular lorry drivers (that have no intention of paying because they cant be traced,) or vehicles that are not registered.
We used to be lorry drivers & still talk to a lot of them & the foreigners boast about how the English cant trace/catch us.
As for all the unregistered cars, how much money is being wasted paying debt collectors to try & trace them?
Go back to the toll booth system, dont pay, dont get through, simple! (and no debt collectors ripping the government/public off. )
After all that there are still queues at the crossing because you have to slow down going over the bridge & going through the tunnel, & on exiting its a lot of lanes squashed into a few.
If you cross after 10pm at night & before 6am in the morning it doesn’t cost a penny.
It is alright to book online, but if you are unable to do it for whatever reason is not good. Surely there should be other methods, like for example, using a contactless credit card. What if you decide to use the crossing at the last minute and only have a basic mobile phone. This system hasn’t been thought out properly and they have only themselves to blame for people not pre-booking. Paying on-line is so inconvenient.
The annoying thing is you still get traffic jams approaching this, so I avoid this hole now by driving anti-clockwise from the M1 when I travel to the Chunnel.
Don’t blame you. I travel from the Midlands to Kent twice a year to see relatives and use the M40/anti-clockwise M25 rather than the M1/clockwise M25 going down, and vice-versa coming back. Virtually no time difference and negligible difference in fuel consumption.
More jobs lost, so big corporate companies & shareholders can make more money for themselves and we call this progress.
Exactly Tony1 As a Human, I am very concerned (not just about Toll Roads/Crossings) that as a “species” we are mechanising/computerising ourselves out of the need to exist. What will happen when the one person “running” the massive computer doesn’t get paid sufficient wages to pay the tax to keep the rest of us on the benefits needed to buy food/shelter etc? I seriously see the need to rid ourselves of the concept of money. I expect the future inhabitants of this planet will be issued with credits – when you run out you will be terminated (There was a 60’s SCi-Fi film on this basis – can’t remember the Title!). Imagine a world without money? No need for the Tax-man, the accountants, the Banks etc – YIPEEEEEE!
The system used, like most in the UK, is about the” give us yer money” attitude rather than a professional road management system.
Blue badge owners ARE exempt but only if they get the highest rate of benefit entitling them to a Mobility car. The notes are in the booklet that accompanies the Blue Badge.
As to 3/4 of foreign drivers owe money well, I would be interested to see the evidence to support this. A German friend of ours crossed the bridge at Dartford on her way home. There were no signs(still are not) in any language other than English about tolls. If you want foreign visitors and their cash to come here make them welcome & help them to obey the law. Germans are VERY law abiding. If signs can be erected in Europe in multiple languages why not here? Anyway she called me some weeks later as a letter had arrived from a UK debt collector with a base in Europe demanding in excess of 200 Euro. I told her to appeal & point out the lack of understandable signage, the failure to send any previous correspondence, the total stupidity of the system and that she would challenge the bill in her local court. She wrote in her native tongue( her English IS limited) and received a reply in German that the matter would be looked at.( They can speak German but obviously hope, as law abiding citizens the Germans will pay up without question of the lack of signage) After 8 weeks she was told that because of the time lapse the debt was cancelled.
There’s your problem. British greed & arrogance, spiced with stupidity, laziness & inefficient systems.
As a regular Dartford Crossing user I have a Dart account and make sure there is always cash to pay my tolls. Until I slowed down at work I used to drive about 35,000 miles a year around the UK using the M6, Severn Crossing and other toll routes and carried at least three crossing tags to save the need to pay in cash at the toll booths, what a faff, why we could not agree on a national system linked to a central accounting system was beyond me. Other European countries such as France and Portugal have managed it. The UK Highways England need to knock a few commercial heads together telling the companies that operate our tolled roads to sort it out.
Since introducing the system of on-line paynment prior to and after use I have had issues and problems. I opted and went for the free travelling times to overcome payment problems but was met with only certain lanes being opened resulting in tailbacks etc. In the end I gave up and I now use Blackwall Tunnel which I find much quicker and easier outside of peak times.
This is not altogether surprising as the signage is so utterly poor. All you have is a big red circle with a white C in the middle and signs saying pay the dart-charge by midnight the next day. What the heck is the dart-charge? Why not plain english signage: Toll Bridge Ahead – pay online by tomorrow or face a hefty fine.
A suspicious sort might think that the obtuse signage was deliberate.
I have recently signed up with Sanef to use the French Motorway Telepeages so the tolls automatically deduct from my UK bank by Direct debit. No more having to get out of the car in the rain to pay! Sanef operate the Dartford Tolls and there is talk that some day the in car transmitter will work there too. Here’s hoping. Alternatively you can have a laugh reading this: http://southendnewsnetwork.com/news/dartford-crossings-to-become-free-as-bridge-and-tunnel-costs-are-fully-paid-off/
I’ve actually had quite a good experience. I forgot to pay and got a letter giving me a week to pay as a 1st time offender. I went online and made the payment and spotted they’d introduced auto-pay (something I’d suggested when surveyed after my very first time paying for a crossing some months before) so have entered my credit card details and both our car registrations so that now it will automatically just debit my card every time we cross (not very often). I don’t have an account which gives you a discount because you have to pre-pay. You can pre-pay in advance anyway but I can’t see the point especially now auto-pay is available.
I guess the lady in the article got caught out because auto-pay only applies to crossings _after_ you’ve set it up.
The same system, without any free hours, is being introduced for the new Mersey crossing between Widnes and Runcorn due to open in September. Heaven help us!
Wouldn’t it be easier to scrap the tolls altogether like they said they would do than spend £millions giving each car a tag? This is nothing short of a tyranny on motorists and part of rip off Britain?
I lived in Dartford and the conversion to the Tag only payment was the reason I stopped using the crossing and eventually moved away from Dartford.
They assume that everyone has a smart phone with a mobile data connection to pay for their toll. When I have crossed this bridge in the past it has been going on holiday with my PC left behind at home awaiting my return. I have paid by cash in the past but it appears that I would now face a fine for not paying the following day.
That to me is totally unreasonable as my basic mobile phone is there for emergencies only and has no internet connection.
Can they legally insist that occasional users have a smart phone to pay for these charges?
This was supposed to be free after it was paid for by tolls, but no it was rented off snd prices went up. Why don’t they have a similar system to the tolls in France where you can have a small tag on the windscreen of your car which automatically deducts the fees from your bank account. Foreign drivers dont pay as they will neve be caught.
All EU drivers can now be caught, an EU member state can now in our case contact our DVLA for your vehicle registered address details to enable them to issue & chase your fine.
the signage is rubbish-i only know how much because i use it frequently
as for the woman in th aticle it should have been explaind the fee that wa due needed to be pay separatly from her auto top up as she had already been through u cant set up an account after and pay a previous crossing with that
What annoys me, as an occasional user, is that if you set up a direct debit they maintain your account at between £10 and £20 in credit. Why on earth should I lend them an average of £15, interest-free, through the year? I have now cancelled the direct debit and manually top up when my balance gets close to zero. The system ought to be that they automatically collect one toll whenever I use the crossing.
I rarely use the Dartford Crossing. However, I’ve also never had a problem with it. I’ve always paid upfront, with one exception when I paid the evening of the journey. Ahead of the cashless system coming into force I even received something in the post advising of the upcoming change. A little leaflet. I think it arrived with my annual tax code letter from the government. And I don’t even live in the area.
I prefer the new system as it is convienient for me. I rarely carry cash on me. Though I do agree with the argument about cash booths eliminating the opportunity for people to avoid the toll and subsequent fines.
Wih regards to your last question, I for one would not like to see a mandatory national tag system that is linked to your bank account, that then automatically deducts money as you go through the tolls. That is just asking for a “pay per mile” tax (with higher rates during rush hours)!
I have been a Dart-TAG Member for many years (one of the first 1000). It USED to work well and we were given a “Fast” lane to ourselves. In view of the new system having “problems” I would suggest a slip-off lane for those who do not hold an account or a computer! This would/could include foreign visitors.
I recently added another car to my “Fleet” and could NOT register it for the Dartford Crossing account as it was already registered on the previous owner’s account. I had an “discussion” with the operative who could not do ANYTHING about it until I received the V5c in MY name. I then had to send them a copy of the V5c before they would add it to my account. Two things here:- Why would I want to pay for a car that is nothing to do with me? and – do I risk the crossings in case the previous owner suddenly removed it from their account? Stupid or what?
I also remember the original promise (backed by the Prudential who put up the money) that when costs of build had been met then the crossing would be free. Ha Ha !!
I find it incredibly annoying to still have a queue (particularly seems to happen Northbound) and yet this system was supposed to ease all of the problems.
One FINAL point:- Automation, computerisation etc is making the need for humans (to exist) almost redundant. This case serves my point (and those made by others) that no-one crossed “FREE” when there were booths. I had assumed that the “savings” made by reducing staff, allowed those that “got across” without paying were not worth pursuing. If I were running the show, I think I’d do something more positive than to send in the Debt Collectors!
The system is very far from perfect. On 22 September 2015 I rec eived a “Warning Letter” that I had incurred a Dartford toll on – wait for it – 24 May!. When I examined the Penalty Charge Notice relative to my Mercedes I discovered that the photograph was of an Audi. Further investigation disclosed that the registration n
umber contained a letter not on my plate!. I telephoned Leeds and managed to persuade them tnat they had the wrong man, was assured that the ticket had been candcelled and that they would email me by way of confirmation. That email arrived on 15 March 2016. And they call it an organisation. They couldn’t organise a drunken brawl in a brewery. (I think that the phrase is something like that.)
SIMPLE SOLUTION pay for the Bridges, Tunnel Crossings & Toll Roads out of the extortionate taxes that British vehicles pay (ROAD TAX, Fuel Excise Duty + its VAT] we could also tax EU vehicles at our entry ports. I have to pay road & bridge tolls when driving in Europe, France & Spain etc. (Not in Brittany)
I was lead to believe that the company that built the bridge wanted to build a second bridge further up river when the Dartford bridge had paid for itself and was going to make the crossing a free bridge. But oh no! the Government stepped in and said ‘No you cannot do that as we would loose millions of pounds in lost revenue [because every payment there is 20p in the pound in VAT] and you will not be able to build a second bridge. Now if this is untrue I apologise now.
I agree with those who are rather cynical about the methods of the company which runs the DART system. I believe they do everything they can to confuse drivers and extract the maximum revenue.
A point not mentioned is the confusing signage about the toll-free period. From 10pm to 6am, the signage does not change and therefore it is not clear whether you should pay. After 10pm, the painted sign telling you that payment is not required is dimly lit and easy to ignore. On the other hand, you still see several electronic signs telling you to pay by midnight tomorrow. There’s no clock or other indicator to help you decide, so be careful if you cross near the start or end of this period.
My suggestion is to scrap road tax. We could then either pay extra at the fuel pump or have more turnpikes and toll bridges and then it’s PAYG. More you use the roads the more you pay. Why should somebody who drives 3000 miles a year pay the same as 30000!
The auto payment system was introduced at the thought it would speed up the flow of traffic. What intelligent person come up with this needs shooting. Every single day without fail there are tailbacks of more than 5 miles. How can you go from having 14 toll booths with hardly any queues to 4 lanes? Then every now and then stop the traffic on 2 lanes to allow dangerous vehicles through the tunnel with an escort. It’s total madness. It’s inevitable that the traffic is going to build up. They need to build a tunnel dedicated for the dangerous vehicles, this will at least allow the traffic to flow more freely. The thing is they can’t really tell if the system will really work in it’s current form because they have to stop the traffic for dangerous vehicles, would the flow be better if they didn’t stop it? Who knows?
It would make greater sense (and involve less cost) to have a dedicated crossing time for dangerous loads, essentially fuel tankers – maybe between 11pm and 4am when the tunnels are relatively empty of traffic when they could dedicate the west tunnel to dangerous loads and route all other traffic via the east tunnel. Might not find too many fuel transport firms voting for the idea…
Yet another typical UK cock-up.
This is bad you might think but wait for the Mayhem of Brexit to put this Dartford fiasco in the shade even more than Grenfell……then there’s the Lockheed F35 minefield.
This country does cock-up par excellence…………..
I have never had any problems with the new congestion charge mechanism at Dartford and welcomed the change to “free-flow” from the awful booth-plaza system it replaced. That said, because I knew that one of my family would inevitably use the crossing, forget to pay, ignore the PCN and ultimately rack up a fine (been there, had the early morning bailiff visit looking for one of the kids in relation to a parking PCN…), I set up a pay-as-you-go account and listed the relevant vehicles. Have even temporarily added vehicles whilst en route, no problem. Would I rather it was without any congestion charge? Sure. But does the charging system work? It seems to but if you don’t keep DVLA advised of your current address, not only is that an offence in its own right but any PCN which you might have been able to get waived will escalate into a heavy fine (with costs) for apparent wilful non-payment.
Why not abolish tolls, on Dartford, no doubt its been paid for several times over, no tolls here in Scotland, abolished under SNP, even the new Forth Crossing will be toll free, I note on this morns news tolls on Severn Bridge to be abolished from next year, on a seperate note, I use QE11 bridge every year on hols going down to Kent, and go online to pay fees before leaving Scotland, on return find local shop sellling vouchers, for return journey, pay then and there and found it to be hassle free, but Im only infrequent traveller. Dont fancy it on a daily basis, also car parking fees in England way higher than Scotland.
An IT shambles, no wonder there are claimed “non payments”
I have used the Dartford crossing once since the ending of the manned toll booths and the introduction of the ANPR based Dart Charge. I attempted to make my payment on line that evening, only to receive a message that my payment had not been successful. I made for attempts in total, and received the same error message each time. The following morning I decided to check my bank statement and found that there were four payments taken by Dart Charge the previous day. I logged a complaint to which they insisted on seeing my bank statement to verify my claim. (All the time I was treated as if I was in the wrong, as the Dart Charge system could not possibly make a mistake). When presented with the evidence from my bank statement they claimed that they had not been able to match the payments made to my car registration and therefore they had gone into a “suspense” account. They failed to explain why I got an “unsuccessful payment” message, which in my view was worded to make me feel that the problem was mine and not theirs. They refunded three payments. I logged a complaint and demanded compensation for my lost time, undue stress etc, which was rejected and also rejected on appeal on the grounds that they couldn’t use taxpayer’s money for these types of situations. So not even an ex-gratia refunding of the £2.50 charge.
Dick Turpin is not dead yet!
Took me by surprise a few years ago. Arrived at the toll with my £1.50 or whatever it was, been practising throwing the money from a LHD car only to find all the people gone, but they left the barriers. Nothing on the ferry regarding this, cannot recall seeing anything on the way towards the toll, but possible would not be looking as driving on a busy motorway……. When I went through I did look around at something to give a clue what had happened, no people to ask or anywhere to stop and ask. or pay.
I will be using Dover again on the way in, so no idea, I guess I will drive through again if no one is there. If I was to stop and phone someone up and pay with my credit card I will get a fee on top to use the card in the UK, whatever was there before worked better.
As a rare user of the crossing I had no idea of the system. I went over the bridge, crossed to France, and was without the internet. On my return I was sent a fine. I complained on the basis of a) not knowing about the system beforehand – perhaps Londoners and those who cross regularly were provided with information, b) inadequate signage to indicate I needed to pay within 48 hours, c) no access to the internet to pay. I won, the fine was cancelled and the written outcome suggested that the crossing authority system and signage is inadequate for purpose.
The system to pay was also flawed, in that it did not indicate what was owed or what had been paid.
I haven’t used the crossing since this happened, instead I drive to Portsmouth and catch the Caen ferry. It is much easier even though I have to spend over 6 hours on the ferry!
In Norway I drove along toll roads. They simply sent me a bill – to my address in England – and I paid it. Far simpler. For Dartford the bill could be sent via email to save money. DVLA just needs an email address relating to all drivers.
As for the comment about Blue Badge Discount. It is both correct, and incorrect. As a Blue Badge holder, you do not get any discount. As a Blue Badge holder with a higher mobility allowance, as in you get your car tax free, or drive a Motability vehicle, you are exempt from tolls on Severn Bridge, and Dartford Tunnel. This must save me around £7.50 a year.
The signs have been clear enough for me to see tgat a payment needs to be made if applicable. The current system is a lot better than the two hour queue I was in four years ago to pay at a booth.
It is a shame the revenue generated from the motorist is mot spent on the roads and infrastructure, but all governments are keen to milk the motorist. The failure is, uf the roads are tgat bad, people will reduce driving and revenue falls. Better roads equals more revenue. If you can travel further with less jams, you will venture out more, which heps generate spending in other areas.
what do you do at cossing ifyou only got cash? if their system not working it teir faullt it like parking meter ifout of order you don,t pay the say should here for the crossing.
adding to parking parking eye, under the law they shouldonly fine the driver, as the system cannot see who was driving how can finr the right person,,
added to that parking eye is not regulated at all, they think they are about the law.
Sorry I think you must be pretty dense not to know you have to pay – these days you don’t get anything for nothing. As far as the lady fighting her toll fine is concerned doesn’t she look at her credit/ debit card statements?
You can register for free at http://www.dartsave.co.uk. I have used them since 2015.
Every time you use the crossing, you will receive an email notification.Payment can be made within 30days of crossing at no extra cost by logging onto the website.
If you forget to pay within a month, they do not penalise you. They are very good.
Thank you
As a fairly regular user of the crossing I have always happily pre paid my fee. But I now find it an imposition that a minimum charge of £10 has been introduced to top up, where as I have always paid just before I have used the crossing for the journeys I was making.
Yes I know I can pay per journey but why should I pay £2.50 per crossing when I am happy to pay in advance.
It strikes me that the government by imposing this minimum top up are trying to get back some of the money they are losing from drivers that don’t pay the charge.
I thought modern technology was to make life easier not more difficult. If you are in Dartford and wish to drive to Grays, would it be better to drive clockwise round the M25?
General concensus
General consensus then is that the system is rubbish, well yes, this is very current day British is it not. Nothing works as it should.
As the bridge to Skye is free, & the Severn Bridge to Wales is now free, why are the English being discriminated against? Also why was the promise for it to be free when we had paid for it broken?
It is an absolute disgrace that something that was supposed to be free after it was paid for is continuing to penalise uk drivers.
Yes only uk drivers
Why do I say this
Because you drive through and the ANPR system gets your number plate.
they then send a message to the DVLA who make a fortune by supplying your details to theses companies
But
Non uk registered vehicle can use the tunnel free of charge and as often as they like because the companies cannot trace the owners
This is not only unfair to uk car drivers but puts our haulage companies at a huge disadvantage when completing with non uk registered haulage companies.
I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO START A HOUSE F COMMONS WEBSITE PAGE TO GET THIS DISCUSSED IN PARLIAMENT BUT THIS CANNOT GO ON.
IT PAID FOR SO SHOULD NOW BE FREE
if you go to france you pay tolls on certain roads as you do in spain but at least everybody pays it when you exit the toll road.
it is obvious the switch to on line was motivated by one thing and one thing only and that is greed
someone please start a house of commons site now and cascade it out I have no doubt the 100,000 required signatures will be reached very quickly
Being a very irregular user of the Dartford Crossing, I personally do not object to the amount being charged, however I do understand the frustrations of people who use the crossing on a regular/daily basis, especially when commuting short distances to and from work.
I travelled North (one way only) through the tunnel a few days ago, then completely forgot to pay (despite my wife reminding me whilst on the Motorway). I remembered this morning so rang up to face the consequences and pay, including any fines. I was told that as it was my first time (forgetting), that I would only have to pay the £2.50 crossing fee, but any further late payments would carry a £35 charge.
Whilst the minimum of a £10 payment into an account, is OK for regular users, I am going to opt for the PAYG option (against my principles and better judgement). Even in the event of an incorrect charge it would be better than a £35 fine, so I am going to file it under ‘damage limitation’.
Somebody commented here that you ‘do not get something for nothing’, this might be true,
But, drivers pay about ONE BILLION a WEEK in direct motoring taxes of which about at most 15p in the pound gets reinvested back Into the roads!
The crossing should have been free after 2003, but the charges were kept under Road User Charging policy and now technology has caught up, the EU says it will now start going ahead with it.
Yes, we may have voted to leave the EU, but we can all see the way that is going!
Only UKIP promised to end the road tolls.
“An electronic tag system, as employed by the M6 toll in the UK and the Sanef toll system in France, is a better approach”
As Keith Woodard mentioned. prior to the current system there was one: Dart-Tag. The toll booths had two dedicated lanes for holders and the transponder raised the barrier automatically. Much quicker than queuing to pay by cash. IIRC it was operated by SANEF because the tag still worked when the barrriers were abolished. I know that for a fact because I too had one.
I migrated to the new system because it saved having to remember to physically transfer the tag between vehicles. Maybe I’m lucky (or just diligent). I’ve never received a Dartford Crossing PCN.
“A sensible approach would be for Highways England to impose a universal tag across the UK, making it law that all vehicles (including non-UK vehicles as they arrive in the country) must carry a tag linked to a payment card to drive on UK roads”
Be careful what you wish for: what is being advocated here is universal road pricing throughout the UK such that you pay for EVERY journey you make irrespective of WHERE it may be. That is a far cry from a simple common payment system which will work for all existing (and new) toll roads/tunnels/bridges. The idea that everyone must have one when they may never use any existing facility is a non-starter AFAIAC.
The problem is how to prevent foreign registered vehicles evading payment. The number of cars is minuscule: it’s LGVs which are the issue.
Part of the reason why there are queues northbound is that fuel tankers have to be ecorted in convoy though the West Tunnel. When the lights go red to let one through it doesn’t take long for traffic to tail back to well beyond junction 2. The queue can’t be released until the convoy has cleared the tunnel.
Another is LGV drivers who either can’t read signs or don’t know the height of the vehicle they are driving (the West Tunnel has a lower limit) so everything comes to a crashing halt while they are extricated and the diverted through the East Tiunnel.
Yet another is that drivers seem to be mesmerised by the tunnels and their approach roads. Instead of travelling at the speed limit (indeed most don’t seem to have a clue what the speed limit through it actually is) they randomly slow down causing a wave effect which ripples back until traffic well before the tunnel is at a standstill. The QEII bridge by contrast is generally far more free-flowing (except sometimes at night when there are lane restrictions for maintenance work).
@Peter Smith
“Now about an ill informed comment by R Williams, sorry to have to tell you sir or madam, but this but i speak from being a blue badge holder, & at the Dartford crossing there is no allowance for it!”
That is because the criteria are different. The Blue Badge Scheme applies to PERSONS whereas the exemption from the Dart Charge applies to VEHICLES. If the VRM corresponds with a VED EXEMPT vehicle it will go free (assuming the ANPR system correctly identifies the VRM of course).
I’ve driven the Dartford Crossing, City congestion zones, toll motorways etc for the last time unless they have a cash tollbooth for the faraway or occasional user.
Their loss: where I live I can plan my journey with little distance penalty.
I wonder how many of the 2 million have been “clocked” by mistake – as I have been. I received a “Penalty Notice” for an unpaid charge complete with photo of “my” car – same make and model but part of the registration number was unreadable. As I have never been anywhere near Dartford (and was in Wiltshire at the time in question) I contested it. I was told the camera had “misread” the number plate and flagged up the next nearest instead. I was told the PCN would be cancelled but had to contact them again after getting a second notification for non-payment of the first! After some persuasion I eventually received written confirmation that both charges had been cancelled. Just be aware – the system isn’t foolproof.