Dartford Crossing charge to increase to £3.50 as of September

The cost for motorists using the Dartford Crossing is set to rise, with the standard charge for car drivers increasing from £2.50 to £3.50 in September, as announced by Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood. The crossing, connecting Essex and Kent via the M25, sees heavy traffic flow, with up to 180,000 vehicles crossing each day. Greenwood stated that the current charge was insufficient to manage the demand, prompting the increase.

The news of the price hike was met with mixed reactions from local MPs. Jen Craft, the MP for Thurrock, expressed her disappointment and indicated that she would be reaching out to Greenwood to reconsider the decision. Richard Holden, the Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay, criticized the government’s approach to the announcement, labeling it as “underhanded.”

Despite the increase in charges, Greenwood assured that there would be significant discounts for local residents, and car drivers with pre-pay accounts would only need to pay £2.80 per crossing. Different vehicle categories, such as buses, coaches, vans, and other goods vehicles, will see varying fees, with vehicles having more than two axles being charged up to £8.40. The new charges are lower than what they would have been if adjusted for inflation since the last increase in 2014.

The Dartford Crossing initially introduced tolls in 2003, following the construction of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. Although tolls were meant to cease after the ending of the private finance initiative contract in 2003, the Transport Act 2000 permitted charging schemes for certain road structures, allowing the Highways Agency to continue imposing fees. Some MPs, like Jen Craft, have expressed concerns about the increased charges but acknowledge the reasoning behind them. Meanwhile, the Treasury has allocated £590m for the Lower Thames Crossing project, which aims to alleviate traffic at the Dartford Crossing by linking Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent

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