[Closed] PSA Dartford Crossing - No more cash payments from 30 November 2014

of course despite this streamlining the use of the crossing (which is a good thing) the cost will go up 25% 🙄

EDIT although you can set up a pre-pay account (with a minimum of £10) which will actually be cheaper than the current price so I may have to take the eye-rolly thing back!!

EDIT EDIT it is still a price increase versus the current Dart-Tag automated system so the rolly eyes stay!

About time. It's still way cheaper than than the Severn crossing.

Another reason not to visit the in-laws this Christmas......

Good for regular users i guess but as an occasional user i find it annoying they are switching from cash payments as its yet another service I'll have to register with and remember to do before setting off to the extent id still prefer to pay cash even if it was a bit more expensive 😐

Wonder how it'll work for tourists/etc driving up from dover/Folkstone and not realising you now can't pay cash

It makes me laugh, as they are laying off the toll staff & have no need for onsite money collection, yet the price is going up. Something not quite right there.

Wonder how it'll work for tourists/etc driving up from dover/Folkstone and not realising you now can't pay cash

I'll be coming through there Christmas time with my foreign plated car

wohwhowhwowhowhwohohwowhooohhahhhahahhhhhahahah

Although I'll be going through after 22:00 so I'm not as much of a rebel as I first thought!

much like all the utility companies that charge the customer the privilege of updating their systems and increasing profitability whilst passing on the initial cost. This would never have happened in an biscuit and crisp factory 🙂 ( or anything that had competition)

I'll be coming through there Christmas time with my foreign plated car

The automatic number plate recognition system will recognise non-UK vehicles and a European debt recovery agency will support the recovery of outstanding charges. This approach has proven successful with similar schemes such as the London congestion charge.

I'm glad as it means no more pointless tailbacks hitting the tunnels or the bridge. I'm a regular user and it always comes down to the bottleneck at the toll booths

when someone forgets their tag has no funds
when someone cant find the money in their jeans/shorts/purse etc
when someone swears blindly the money went in but didn't register
when the barriers fail to go up
when the barrier falls on your car 👿

It does annoy me that overall the fees will be going up especially as costs have come down, takes the pi55 really..

It does annoy me that overall the fees will be going up especially as costs have come down, takes the pi55 really..

The tolls did indeed cease in 2003 whereupon the Government decided they would immediately be replaced by a "charge" instead (management of which was contracted out to another private company). You could not make it up.

Move north. No need to pay or sit in a traffic jam to cross a bridge your taxes should've paid for.

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Sui
I'm glad as it means no more pointless tailbacks hitting the tunnels or the bridge.

Amazing how long the tail backs are 9-10 pm and everyone goes slow and also when one tunnel is used ( more cost savings I guess)

Used to work near the crossing and one of our client did all it maintenance, used to come from France every month. He said that his company would happily build another bridge next to the first one if the government would give them the toll rights for ever. The profits are huge.

The tolls did indeed cease in 2003 whereupon the Government decided they would immediately be replaced by a "charge" instead (management of which was contracted out to another private company). You could not make it up.

And now they create a new system to give the debt collection industry industry a much needed boost.

What happens if you just turn up and want to use it? What happens if you're not a local and are not aware of the restrictions on payments? What happens if you have cash but no cards on you?

You can apparently pre-pay or you will have up until midnight the day after to pay (online, phone, etc) or you will be fined. I'm sure there will be very visible signage in multiple languages explaining what to do thus negating any "sorry I didn't realise" defence! I'm not sure there's any way you can pay without a card except in advance, by post!

its exactly same principle as London congestion charge - you'll know when you go in so you will have "time" to pay up on line etc...

What happens if you just turn up and want to use it? What happens if you're not a local and are not aware of the restrictions on payments? What happens if you have cash but no cards on you?

Roughly the same as the London congestion charge. You pay online, on the phone, or at a Payzone shop (most newsagent/corner shops, many petrol stations). Pay in advance or until midnight of the following day.

Yes, people who show up with just a pile of coins and no knowledge of how to operate in the modern world will struggle, I'll admit.

I may be travelling from Surrey to Witham and back each week, how bad is it in the rush hour? Pre-pay sounds good to me.

Yes, people who show up with just a pile of coins and no knowledge of how to operate in the modern world will struggle, I'll admit.

They can just go around the M25 the other way

Ro5ey - Member

They can just go around the M25 the other way

Which has been known to be faster sometimes....

Good point though

If you can't get you head around the various ways of paying for this charge.

Should you be allowed to drive at all ??

s'okay - it's still free on the motorbike 🙂

Rachel

I may be travelling from Surrey to Witham and back each week, how bad is it in the rush hour? Pre-pay sounds good to me.

It can be grim in rush hour. Very grim. (I do it every day - Bromley to Basildon)

Mudshark that's my journey ish, leatherhead to the A13. In all honesty that is the better of journys to make, coming home can be a chore, but going into Essex is generally ok!

So very glad I've only needed to use it twice in my 22 years of driving.

Mudshark, it varies considerably. Believe it or not, I find it actually gets worse during school holidays. Friday is generally the worst day. To get around the worst of it, you can go on the back roads through South Ockendon, or down to Aveley. That way you join the queue for the bridge at junction 31 instead of 29.

Try driving around Ireland. **** me!

So my Monday morning trip (from Leatherhead like Sui) will be OK but the return on Friday will be tough. Perhaps if I can leave early that would help - what sort of time would make it acceptable?

Also considering getting the train but then I'd be without car whilst there which might not matter.

Can anyone get that Gov website to work?

I tried yesterday and just kept getting an error after submitting details and the same today.

Yes, just registered and set up an account. Shame the SANEF autoroute payment bipper doesn't work :-/

The crossing usually gets busy from mid afternoon on a Friday. I'm off at lunchtime today to ride my bike, so I'm hoping it won't be too bad at 1pm

munrobiker - Member
Move north. No need to pay or sit in a traffic jam to cross a bridge your taxes should've paid for.

+1 and the hills you can see have some decent biking (and we can go pretty much where we please)

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freeagent - Member

It can be grim in rush hour. Very grim. (I do it every day - Bromley to Basildon)

Wow that's bad luck. Ending up in Basildon after doing that journey really is the dog poo icing on your sour milk flavoured cake.

bridge your taxes should've paid for.

But tolls mean those up north aren't having their taxes going towards a bridge they're not using.

Whatever way you look at it...it's bollocks, and they are greedy c........... And they are causing habitual long delays rather than facilitating the free flow of traffic. They should be paying us for the inconvenience they are causing us.

Yes I do hate tolls, very inefficient. Driving in places like France and the US where there are many is a real pain. Just put all the tax needed on fuel - and scrap VED while you're at it.