BBC.
An increase in road toll charges at the river crossing between Kent and Essex, which were announced earlier this year, will take effect from Sunday 7 October.Proof if ever it were needed that they're simply after our money and that traffic calming was simply a lie to fob us off with, after all if we don't have to stop, where's the calming effect?
From 06:00 BST, drivers of cars and 2 axle goods vehicles will pay 50p more to use the Dartford-Thurrock crossing.
Heavy goods vehicles will cost an extra £1.30, while the crossing will remain free for motorcyclists.
Discounts will continue for local residents and DART-Tag account holders who pay in advance.
Any vehicle using the crossing between 22:00 and 06:00 will continue to do so for free.
Cash payments at the crossing will increase from £1.50 to £2.00 for cars, from £2.00 to £2.50 for 2 axle goods vehicles, and from £3.70 to £5.00 for heavy goods vehicles.
Electronic charging, which means vehicles will not have to stop, will be introduced in 2014, when the charge for cars will rise to £2.50. Drivers of 2 axle goods vehicles will also have to pay £3.00, and £6.00 for heavy goods vehicles.
Nor can I believe the gall of the rest of the article in which the minister says the charges will be used to pay for other infrastructure improvements, after all, isn't that what the road tax fund was supposed to be for? (I know, I know, it's never been used for that, but the point remains, motorists are being used as a cash cow by the government)
Where is there a political party determined to reduce taxation (of all kinds) to reduce the size (and power) of the state and who will bring honesty (for a given value of honesty I know) back into Westminster?
We certainly need one...
4 annotations:
You are quite correct, apart from the dishonesty that toll is probably the most disruptive self-inflicted piece of road design, causing more wasted hours for travellers than any other, in the country.
Again a problem with an obvious solution but people won't take part in that solution they will simply turn up, pay up and moan about it as they use the crossing.
Get enough folks organised to stop using that crossing and the charges would vanish overnight.
All taxes, which people accept because they can see the need, are in due course abused by government.
The Air Passenger duty, introduced after 9/11 to fund extra security, was then considered reasonable by most people, but now has been subverted just to provide the exchequer with more money under the pretence of being "green". (Why, then, a third runway at Heathrow?)
Clearly politicians learnt that they "got away" with it with road tax, so let's try elsewhere.
Local Parking charges are the same, originally to fund the purchase and maintenance of the land, they have now become a major item in the Council's income.
Of course the British Gov (English Money) bought the Isle of Sky Bridge and gave it to the Scots on Sky so that they would not have to pay tolls.
The Forth Bridge tolls were withdrawn. The Scots have no tolls whatsoever. The British Gov pays for the road maintenance of couse.
The Air Ambulance is free in Scotland. I just wish we could find such suckers as neighbours that to pay our way for us.
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