Councils attack Dartford toll
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ESSEX AND KENT County Councils have added their voices to the growing chorus of dissent over the toll charge on the Dartford Tunnel, an important link once the M25 London Orbital route is completed.
Both councils told CM that they would be happy for the Government to take the burden of the tunnel and its repairs away from them, provided that the local ratepayers were not left to foot the maintenance bill.
A spokesman for Essex said: "We are in favour of the Department of Transport taking it over. If the tolls continue, drivers may be tempted to use other crossings to travel across the Thames."
Kent agreed that there was no reason to impose a toll on one part of the projected motorway, while nothing was levied on the rest. If the tunnel is becoming a vital link for the M25 it would make sense in the long run to abolish the tolls," he said.
A Bill is now going through the House of Lords to renew the powers of the counties to collect the tolls. Once it gets to the House of Commons, the leading transport associations will be lobbying MPs to try to stop it.
The Standing Joint Committee of the Royal Automobile Club, the Automobile Association and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club has attacked the proposal, along with the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association.
One point in the Bill that worries the RHA concerned the relative ease with which the counties could raise the toll charges.
"It used to be necessary to hold a public inquiry before raising the charges, but now they just have to agree a price v the DTp," an RHA spokesn told CM.
The counties refuted alle tions that this could lead to abuse of the system, with power to impose unrealil fees, and said that the previc system was too lengthy.
Kent said that the new syst would be better. "Holding pul inquiries takes a long time. 1 last one that was arranged no response from objectors a nobody turned up."
The Standing Joint Commit objects to the continued toll three main reasons: it wo create a potentially danger( stoppage for motorway tra (more toll booths are now be built and the counties feel t would solve that problem); would cause peak period de and force traffic off the M25 a through central London.
The Committee has been posed to all tolls for many ye and the RHA and FTA have cently held meetings with it exchange ideas on the subjE While the FTA sees t relationship as an opportunity see how other transport orga sations are treating the toll prc lem, the RHA believes that "united front" is needed to ca paign for the abolition of all to