{"id":6352,"date":"2016-05-02T16:00:48","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6352"},"modified":"2016-05-06T11:51:03","modified_gmt":"2016-05-06T10:51:03","slug":"tale-three-tolls-part-1-dart-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/2016\/05\/tale-three-tolls-part-1-dart-charge.htm","title":{"rendered":"A tale of three road tolls: part 1 (the Dart Charge)"},"content":{"rendered":"

London’s orbital motorway, the M25, is not a circle (as many people suggest) but has a short section of trunk road joining the ends and crossing the River Thames east of London. That road, the A282\u00a0Dartford Crossing<\/a>, has an associated charge which, until recently, was collected at toll booths.<\/p>\n

Originally the tolls were to be removed on 1 April 2003 under the original Private Finance initiative (PFI) scheme contract that was used to finance the Queen Elizabeth II bridge but instead, under the 2000 Transport Act, the A282 Trunk Road (Dartford-Thurrock Crossing charging scheme) Order 2002 allowed the continuation of the crossing fee, which officially became a charge and not a toll.<\/p>\n

Since 30 November 2014 the toll booths have been removed and replaced by an electronic charge [update: there are some overnight journeys that are not charged], but that’s not without its issues, as I found when I travelled to Dartford and back a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

\"DartI hadn’t used the route for years, but had heard about the changes (I even contacted the operator to see if my new tag for the French motorways, also operated by SANEF, would work – it won’t!). I also saw the signs advising me to pay by midnight the next day (confusingly using the same symbol as the London Congestion Charge, which is unrelated). Unfortunately, faced with congestion, delays, a stressful\u00a0day with a difficult\u00a0customer and an equally stressful journey home (total driving time for the day was 6 hours for around 180 miles – a pathetic average speed considering it was mostly on motorways!) – and I forgot.<\/p>\n

<\/a>It was an honest mistake and, when I realised a few days later, I called the Dart Charge contact centre. Aided by some extremely patient and helpful people, I was told not to worry, to wait for the penalty charge notice and that I would be given a chance to pay (without penalty) on my first infringement. But I’d travelled both ways! In turns out that’s OK too – just pay all outstanding charges<\/em>\u00a0on receipt of\u00a0the first notice.<\/p>\n

I was also told how I could sign up for automatic payment in future (a facility I tested on a journey to France a few weeks later) – if only the official government website for the Dart Charge<\/a> made that clear but it’s one of those sites that’s been so over-“simplified” that it’s no longer clear. \u00a0The warning letter is equally confusing: because my PCNs arrived on different days (and I needed to pay before leaving the country on Easter holidays!), I couldn’t see how to pay all outstanding charges in one hit online. Luckily the contact centre for the Dart Charge came to my rescue again!<\/p>\n

\n

Fantastic customer service from @dartcharge<\/a> contact centre. Pity the info on the website\/letter is so “simplified” it’s now unclear @GDSteam<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Wilson (@markwilsonit) March 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n