On 16/09/2016 15:24, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 13:35:51 on Fri, 16 Sep
2016, tim... remarked:
They could just as easily have implemented a hybrid scheme with a few
lanes taking payment.

Bearing in mine that there is an exit/entrance slip immediately
before/after both ends of the crossing and there are a lot of people
who need to place themselves in a particular lane to use that slip,
and then there are a lot of people who need to make sure that they are
not in that lane so as not to inadvertently get trapped into leaving
the M25 when they don't want to this would mean payment booths on both
the inside and the outside of each direction.

It would be a nightmare of weaving cars as people who wanted to/didn't
want to pay cash realised they were in the wrong lane

None of this was a problem when the choice was Dart-tag or cash.


Then the problem was with the queueing and associated slowing down and
congestion caused. And that was a big problem, especially as traffic
volumes went up. Like I said before, the change to free-flow tolling on
the crossing was all about addressing this (which was a big problem),
and from what I gather it has largely been a success - it doesn't solve
congestion at the crossing of course but it doesn't add to it.

The other alternative people inevitably suggest is abolishing tolls
altogether, along with making the point that the cost of constructing
the bridge was paid off in 2002. One then needs to consider whether the
tolls (which are technically "road user charges") have some effect on
controlling and limiting usage of the crossing, and if they were
abolished how much extra congestion would be caused by more vehicles
whose users were attracted to crossing for free.

Like tim says, the idea of there being a few toll booths with otherwise
free flowing traffic would be an accident black spot just waiting to happen.


A PSA - there are two types of Dart Charge accounts...

(1) a pre-pay account - top it up and "save up to a third" on crossing
charges, and...

(2) a pay-as-you-go account - free to create, register your vehicle (UK
registered vehicles only) and your payment card and it will be charged
when you make a crossing.

https://www.dartford-crossing-charge.service.gov.uk/Home/BeforeYouStartPayAsYouGo


I would criticise the Dart Charge promotional information for not
clearly pointing out the difference between the two above, and perhaps
too heavily promoting the pre-pay account (which is the successor to the
Dart-Tag scheme).

I would also criticise them for not ensuring there is somewhere to pay
the charge at the Thurrock services, or at either the Port of Dover or
at the Eurotunnel terminal. (I think I'm correct in saying there's
nowhere to pay at any of these three places - they certainly don't have
shops with "payzone" facilities.)