Dartford Crossing car cash tolls increased by 50%

Nov 20, 2008
Motorists using the Dartford Crossing face a 50% hike in the cash toll to use the tunnel and bridge spanning the River Thames from this week.

Residents of Dartford and Thurrock are eligible for a discount scheme whereby local residents will be entitled to 50 free crossings per year on payment of a £10 annual administration fee. Thereafter crossings will cost 20p each.

To benefit from the local discount, residents will need to register annually and apply for an electronic tag to be displayed in their car's windscreen. The annual registration fee will be £10, the same local discount registration fee as the London Congestion Charge. The discount will be available for private cars only.

Separate discounts are available to anyone who chooses to pay using a DART-Tag. Car drivers with a DART-Tag will be able to use the crossing for £1, whereas those paying cash will from Saturday night (15 November) have to pay £1.50 - up from the current £1 - between 0600 and 2200. Use of the crossing is free of charge during the night.

While the Dartford Crossing has helped regenerate parts of the Thames Estuary it has also brought through traffic into the area, with some specific locations experiencing air quality problems. In recognition of this impact, the government has in recent years made available a proportion of revenues from the Crossing to the Dartford and Thurrock local authority areas. From this week it will offer the local residents discount as an alternative to this funding.

In December 2006 the DfT consulted on proposed changes to charges for use of the Dartford Crossing to address the increasing number of cars using the route, which links the M25 motorway on either side of the Thames, at peak times. The proposals were to tailor tolls better to the conditions at the Crossing, including raising cash charges to £1.50 for cars in the daytime and removing charges altogether at night when traffic flows more freely.

Source: Transport Briefing