Thursday, 11 June 2015

Dartford crossing toll booths to be replaced

Motorists using the Dartford Crossing will be forced to pay online, over the phone or in registered retailers from 30 November with payment booths ousted.

Work will begin to remove the payment booths two days before the introduction of the scheme that will use similar technology to the London Congestion Charge system.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will police the system, monitoring and recording vehicles to see whether or not the new £2.50 charge has been paid.

The cost for using the Dartford crossing has risen by 50p and riders will be penalised if they do not pay the revised fee.

According to the Highways Agency, those who do not pay the fee before midnight of the following day run the risk of a maximum fine of £105 after 28 days.

The system will be in place in both directions, including the Queen Elizabeth bridge and the tunnels taking traffic north, however the crossing will remain free to use between 10pm and 6am.

The wholesale changes have been introduced to combat persistent congestion and delays at the tollbooths, which has plagued the Dartford Crossing since it was opened in 1963.

Around 170,000 vehicles use the crossing each day, adding up to 50 million vehicles per annum.

And the new Dart Charge system is part of a large-scale attempt to improve the crossing and traffic on it and the surrounding roads.

However delays are expected to continue whilst comprehensive improvements are made to the road system, including cutting 27 lanes of traffic to just four in each direction.

Road works are expected to be on going until Spring 2015 with temporary speed limits and layouts in place until then.

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