Opposition grows to Dartford crossing tolls rise (From Echo)

Vote UKIP

Red Hand Gang wrote:
Vote UKIP

I agree! I've been a UKIP supporter since November 2011 and a member since March this year, voted UKIP in this May's elections and yes, I think UKIP shows more common sense than other parties. Apparently one of UKIP's policies is to scrap such toll booths like the Darford Crossing.

Maybe its time for some direct action, a blockade or lorries and vans taking every barrier out!

If they made it £5 one way, and free the other way, they would get the same amount of money and we would only have half the queues.

WTF, how can this government get away with this???????? The charging was supposed to have ended in the 90s, when they had paid for the bridge!!! And now they want to raise the toll? This country is a joke for so many reasons from the smaller issues to the larger ones! How can anybody, let alone the government tell people one thing and do the exact opposite! This is a time that I would completely agree with any kind of protest, whether it be blockades or whatever! Something needs to be done – the government walk all over us and do/charge what they want, regardless of their promises!

Well we always knew the ConDems were mad but if this is how they plan to win a 2015 election then Cameron does'nt need a visit from men in grey suits but the ones in white coats. I would'nt fancy being a sitting Tory MP for Thurrock or surrounding constituencies. Labour were bad but this lot have managed to make them look reasonable which is unbelievable. Would you take a job in Kent now living in Essex & its just as bad for someone in Kent trying to work in Essex? How to create work in a recession (not)?

and I refer you to the previous post on this. The crossing is owned by a private company. Le Crossing Ltd. They own the crossing for 25 years from 2009 when Labour Transport Minister
Lord Adonis handed it over.

Irony indeed if Labour now promise to save is from the 'evil tories' who have ZERO say on the matter then or indeed now. Still it proves that you can fool the people then and now.
Still keep on ranting at the wrong target peeps.
Vote UKIP.

EthanEdwards wrote:
and I refer you to the previous post on this. The crossing is owned by a private company. Le Crossing Ltd. They own the crossing for 25 years from 2009 when Labour Transport Minister Lord Adonis handed it over. Irony indeed if Labour now promise to save is from the 'evil tories' who have ZERO say on the matter then or indeed now. Still it proves that you can fool the people then and now. Still keep on ranting at the wrong target peeps. Vote UKIP.

1st sentence is fkin pointless tho isnt it

Agreed the crossing is owned by a private company but Government still has a level of control in setting a toll level. They could impose a cap on any increase or freeze the level. They already influence the rail companies by setting a limit on how far they can charge up to. Both this shower & the previous useless regime take the easy option & don't bother, while blaming market forces for taking advantage of such lax Government regulatory oversight. No excuse for greed on this scale.

R85 wrote:

EthanEdwards wrote: and I refer you to the previous post on this. The crossing is owned by a private company. Le Crossing Ltd. They own the crossing for 25 years from 2009 when Labour Transport Minister Lord Adonis handed it over. Irony indeed if Labour now promise to save is from the 'evil tories' who have ZERO say on the matter then or indeed now. Still it proves that you can fool the people then and now. Still keep on ranting at the wrong target peeps. Vote UKIP.

1st sentence is fkin pointless tho isnt it

EthanEdwards says...
11:40pm Tue 22 May 12

Barry Bas wrote:
Isn't this run by a private company? If so probably more to do with profits that congestion.

Yes your quite right it was handed over on a plate in 2009 to a company called 'Le Crossing' by the last Labour Government ....the then Transport Minister Lord Adonis.

This bunch of spivs (sorry consortium of construction companies) have the crossing money' theft from the motorist' rights for I believe twenty five years. So only 22 more years to go eh?
A nice little earner, methinks some brown envelopes may have been involved back in 2009. So, how about it Gordon McDoom did you get to dip your beak?
In any event it ensures that despite what any politician today may claim to be able to do, that in reality NONE of them short of some kind of revolution, can do anything at all.
You have all been taken for suckers by Labour politicians in 2009.
I agree that the tolls far from preventing congestion etc are the MAIN CAUSE of the congestion. Yet again politicians lies are an insult to the intelligence. Lib/Lab/Con you voted for these liars, this is what you get.


This is the post I was referring to.

SUFC1906 wrote:
Agreed the crossing is owned by a private company but Government still has a level of control in setting a toll level. They could impose a cap on any increase or freeze the level. They already influence the rail companies by setting a limit on how far they can charge up to. Both this shower & the previous useless regime take the easy option & don't bother, while blaming market forces for taking advantage of such lax Government regulatory oversight. No excuse for greed on this scale.

The level of control (if any) depends on how the contract in 2009 was written. Anyone actually read it and know? Is it even in the public domain?

Ultimately IMO this national infrastructure link should be in public ownership end of.
Only thing the Gov can really do is nationalise it. But they won't do that because we are skint.
Second they won't do that because it would upset the big companies who are in the Consortium.

It stinks.

If ANY politician says they can influence the level of tolls they are simply LYING to you.

Given that the roads minister is announcing the level of the increases then they must have some form of influence. If they did not then the Chief Executive of the Le Crossing owning company would be giving the announcement.

The increase is supposed to pay for new technology to do away with the toll booths, surely the saving on wages will pay for this.
Also watch how much busier the Woolwich ferry and Blackwall tunnel gets

Apparently even if the toll boths go the barriers will still remain! which is crazy!

All people have todo is take the barriers down and no one pays if you get a fine don't pay it. they are not going to send thousands of people to court.

hi guys just to let you know.the french only bought the franchise for the collection service for a set number of years.its now back with the highway agency.but yes i have to use daily and its immoral to expect working people to spend £25 a week plus fuel to get to work..yet again welcome to rip off britton

We have the Labour government to thanks for all this!

R85 wrote:
WTF, how can this government get away with this???????? The charging was supposed to have ended in the 90s, when they had paid for the bridge!!! And now they want to raise the toll? This country is a joke for so many reasons from the smaller issues to the larger ones! How can anybody, let alone the government tell people one thing and do the exact opposite! This is a time that I would completely agree with any kind of protest, whether it be blockades or whatever! Something needs to be done – the government walk all over us and do/charge what they want, regardless of their promises!

Im sure you would agree....to somebody else arranging any sort of protest, the problem is all the others who also agree would also agree to somebody else etc. Nothing gets done while everyone waits for someone to do something for everyone.

My Dog is called alfie wrote:
All people have todo is take the barriers down and no one pays if you get a fine don't pay it. they are not going to send thousands of people to court.

Perhaps you can get alfie to do it. Taking barriers down cant be that hard can it?

An arbitary increase with no reason or justification to how this price rise has been calculated. There is legal redress to this, public and even possibly if state owned. I fancy a stab at this but need a legal person.....(and about £50K to cover the fees!)

Im sure the people of Kent would not only agree to the charge but demand that the barricades be reinforced to keep Essex people out.

"crash the gate doing 98 let those truckers roll 10-4"

E-Types wrote:

My Dog is called alfie wrote: All people have todo is take the barriers down and no one pays if you get a fine don't pay it. they are not going to send thousands of people to court.

Perhaps you can get alfie to do it. Taking barriers down cant be that hard can it?

staffs are stupid

I can some it up it two words – Cash Cow but I cannot leave it there:-

Viewing the comments here they are commensurate with the response the DOT got to their Consultation exercise which ran last year and took 7 months to report – 42 pages of waffle which basically said 'Up Yours' we are doing what we want to do: If you want to see a good example on how to waste tax payers money on nothing have a read of it here:-

http://assets.dft.go

v.uk/consultations/d

ft-2011-08/dft-2011-

08-consultation-resp

onse.pdf


This combined with the intransigence on Fuel Duty its no wonder the UK population has lost faith with any Government of any political party make up, which aptly demonstrated that only 1356 people responded of which 6 were MP's and those 6 Disagreed with the Proposals and my guess is that they were the local MP’s which to their credit have spoken out against these changes. But they have no teeth. I’ve written to mine (John Baron) I am waiting his response.

There are some good suggestions in the consultation even a couple of my own, which doubtless others voice as well, (yes I was one of the 1356 who bother to respond) so at least we can take some solace in that that did read and record them - Shame they don't seem fit to at least try some of them out.

I have a saying " he who has no data only expresses an opinion" and my own thoughts / ideas are indeed that - Opinions.

Example: Remove the barriers (leave them up for a week) in a known busy period to monitor congestion versus the same period the year before. On the surface sounds easy, but there will still be a restriction causing reduced flow – the Toll Plaza but would give a good indicator. Hang on a minute I have probably now given this more thought that the DOT. But of course I keep forgetting it’s a Cash Cow silly me.

So they say they need the increased Tolls to fund improvements and a new crossing to ease congestion. What has happened to the what I estimate to be around £½ Billon revenue gone since the Bridge was bought & paid for ? (I have taken out the running costs for the French Bloodsuckers running on behalf of the whichever Gov’t Quango is currently in ‘charge’ of the crossing in this estimation). At that is a very conservative estimate based on 50 million vehicles a year paying and average £1.25 over a ten year period. The 50 Million is was the DOT says.

Obviously not for what it is intended – your guess will probably be better then mine.

Rant Over

If anyone's interested there's a e-petition that people can sign calling for ending the tolls:
http://epetitions.di
rect.gov.uk/petition
s/1878

Wotchit wrote:
If anyone's interested there's a e-petition that people can sign calling for ending the tolls:
http://epetitions.di

rect.gov.uk/petition

s/1878

Is there one demanding a wall be built around Essex?

Instead of keep complaining through the likes of this forum, why NOT Boycott the bridge, leaving the pay booth operators sitting there for nothing, and BLOCK other routes up with the traffic that WOULD normally use the bridge, but for the increase???

we in this country should a leaf out of the french book. they would block the entrance to the tunnel and bridge and they would not move until the new charge was scrapped.what about it?

I agree, lets go anticlockwise to get to bluewater, make a nice day out, why pay £2.50 to cross the bridge when we can buy the fuel for a 100 mile trip each way, to me at 25 to the gallon only about £25 each way, way to go!
You boycot the crossing make it easier for the rest of us

R85 totally agree with you. The crossing is meant to be free now.
Typical of 99% of politicians they lie through their teeth.
Why don't we do as other countries do - blockade the area, call for P.Ms resignation and demand general election immediately

ENGINEER38 wrote:
we in this country should a leaf out of the french book. they would block the entrance to the tunnel and bridge and they would not move until the new charge was scrapped.what about it?

You missed out the bit about setting fire to sheep.