AN angry Thurrock resident is calling on the government to suspend Dartford crossing charges and slammed the bureaucracy that surround renewing accounts for regular users of the tunnels and bridge.

Diana Zachau from Chadwell St Mary is one of many local people who have an account with Dart Charge but is frustrated by the bureaucracy involved.

She told Thurrock Nub News: "Dart Charge has contacted me, asking me to provide, yet again, proof of address and all the rest of it because they want to renew my local resident account and claim their £10.

"So far so good but in December, I sent them all that because I got a new car. Also, I have 44 crossings left and £20 in my account which they never sent back after having had to pay upfront for crossings while I was waiting for them to put my new car on the local residents' scheme."

Diana also feels the government should relax the regulations for account holders, who cannot make their regular journeys because of the coronavirus lockdown.

She added: "I am not happy about having to pay for crossings that I cannot make. The lockdown effectively stops us from

a) moving

b) crossing the bridge (not and essential worker)

"So why has this money-grabbing scheme, which should have seen the end a while back not suspended?

"And don't essential workers deserve to cross without having to pay?"

Dartford is the largest river crossing in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of more than 130,000 vehicles, which is above its design capacity and has led to the government initiating the controversial new Lower Thames Crossing.

However, it is likely that will also come at a price for motorists – a price many think should have been scrapped at Dartford decades ago.

'Tolling was supposed to stop'

Under the original agreement when the bridge was built, tolling was supposed to stop once it had paid for itself, which was almost 15 years ago.

In February 1999, the government announced the crossing would be free of toll charges by the end of 2003. But in 2001, it backtracked and said charges would remain – promoting many to protest saying it was simply a government 'cash cow'.

Despite the protests, the charges stayed – and were increased. In 2014 toll booths were removed and a number-plate recognition scheme was installed, meaning drivers using the crossing between 6am and 10pm have to pay online. The move was done in a bid to try and alleviate the heavy queues at peak times.

It is believed the government has lost millions of pounds of potential revenue from those who do not pay.

Last year a petition was launched calling for charges to be dropped forever. The campaign, headed by driver Neil D'Silva, got 28,118 signatures and prompted a government response – which was pretty blunt.

They said: "We have no plans to remove the road user charge at the Dartford Crossing which exists to manage demand. Without charges, traffic volumes would increase and additional congestion would occur."

You can read the full government response here.

Motoring organisations are also largely against the charging system.

'Motorists shortchanged'

RAC Head of Roads Policy, Nicholas Lyes said: "Drivers who use the Dartford Crossing are likely to feel short-changed considering the cost of construction has since been paid back. Our view is that tolls should be reviewed and, if affordable, abolished completely.

"The Government was able to do this with the Severn Crossing so why not the Dartford Crossing? The only justification for maintaining a charge, which could be lower than current prices, would be for routine maintenance and inspection, all of which surely could be done in-house by Highways England and its teams."

The current cost for cars is £2.50, reduced to £2 for account holders. Residents in Thurrock who register for the local discount scheme get further reductions with their prepaid accounts, opting for either unlimited crossings for £20 a year, or £10 a year for 50 crossings.

The Dartford Crossing is owned by the UK Government. Highways England manages the crossing on behalf of the Department for Transport. Connect Plus Services (CPS) operates and maintains the crossing on behalf of Highways England. CPS are responsible for managing infrastructure at the crossing.

French firm Sanef has managed the collection of Dart Charge payments since 2013. Its contract is due to end this year (2020). Highways England is currently looking for a new Dart Charge operator, with a contract of eight-a-half years on offer and the option to extend by two years.

All that still leaves Diana Zachau perplexed. She concluded: "The new crossing will be the same with, I am guessing higher tolls – of course, 'only till it's paid for'.

"We just get worse air in exchange for fees ... we are being mugged!"