Taking a toll on business
February 1st 2010 Reader David M Woods, chief executive of Acclaim Handling, shares a letter he sent to MP Andrew Mackinlay outlining his concerns that the congestion caused by the Dartford Crossing is costing businesses dearly
You and I were in correspondence during 2006 concerning the injustice of tolls on the Dartford Crossing, which cause such inordinate delay.
We are located in Essex, just a short distance from the River Crossing. In the course of our business many of our 200 staff (including me, as I live in Kent) need to cross the Thames everyday. The River Crossing toll is yet another tax on our business, over which we have no control. However, the cost to the environment, and the amount of sheer man hours wasted while queuing for the toll to be collected is something that is, of course, within the control of this Government.
In our correspondence you agreed with me that the pollution, time delays and sheer waste of commercial, human and fuel resources were unacceptable. Your words to me in your letter of August 4, 2006 were “you may be aware that I have been on to the Government regards what I consider parlous poor management of the M25 and related congestion; with its cost to commerce and appalling inconvenience”.
Sadly, I heard no more from you on this important matter. The traffic delay, pollution, carbon emissions, congestion and utter frustration continue unabated and naturally, nothing gets done! To make matters worse, the Highways Agency caused misery and spent a fortune widening the M25 Kent section into the tunnels, and has built a flyover from the M2 to join the approach roads to the tunnels. It is now causing further misery to the Essex users of the M25, by widening it down to the bridge, spending yet more vast sums of money – with what aim? When the Essex M25 works are complete, we will have a widened M25 north and south of the River Crossing, with nothing done whatsoever about the bottleneck caused by the toll plazas themselves.Why has this work been sanctioned unless and until the very cause of the traffic congestion is removed?
We all know the stories of how the Crossing would be free after the bridge (completed in 1991) was paid for by the toll fees. Nobody was surprised when the Government reneged on this promise. Not only has it kept the tolls in place, but has raised them by 50% during normal hours, exacerbating the delays even further.
Mr Mackinlay, I know you are retiring from politics after the next election, but you will continue, no doubt, to have an interest in local affairs and will probably find that you will personally become embroiled in useless time wasted queuing to the infernal toll plazas!
On June 30, 2006, I received a letter from Le Crossing Company (which operates the Crossing), in response to my question to them about the use of congestion charge (type) registration number recognition cameras to capture electronically the tolls. Its answer to me was that such camera technology was not appropriate for Dartford as London has a single fixed charge, whereas Dartford’s are variable.What poppycock! The software of the cameras is more than capable of depicting different vehicle types by the very registration numbers they are reading! And what of foreign vehicles? Why not tax them at the point of entry into our country, like the Swiss do?
What good news can you relay to me that the relentless torment of suffering this issue, that could so easily be resolved, is to cease?
I have heard a rumour that the glaringly obvious part solution (of the congestion problem) by making the bridge free, and doubling the toll fee of the tunnels is soon to be implemented? Such a move, by installing adequate traffic calming measures to slow the traffic down as it approaches the southbound plaza, will, at a stroke, halve the barrier manning levels and personnel costs, remove capital and maintenance costs on the toll plaza barrier equipment, eliminate 50% of all queues and carbon emissions and undoubtedly improve traffic flow.
Is this rumour true? If it is indeed true, how and when will such a helpful initiative be introduced? I thank you in advance for your interest in this matter, and I look forward to your reply. More articles from Handling & Storage Solutions: | 
