New Dartford Crossing System - How Will It Work For Foriegn Vehicles?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30262125
Great idea but how do they charge the non UK vehicles?

[dzug2]

Debt recovery agency if they fail to pay online or by phone

[ToraToraTora]

yes but how will they know who they are? Eg Polish registered truck? Do we have access to the Polish version of DVLA? and even if we did how would we enforce?

[BlackadderV]

Only UK vehicles have to pay. It is free to foreigners, like the NHS and our lavish benefits system, of which I thought you were aware.

[Baldric]

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/cost-of-motoring/dartford-crossing-dart-charge.html

//Non compliance will be dealt with by penalty charge notice (£35 if paid within 14 days plus the original road user charge) with those for non-UK vehicles being issued via a European debt recovery agency.///

[Baldric]

Not Free
www.brentwoodgazette.co.uk/Dartford-Crossing-charge.../story.html
9 Aug 2014 - THE Dartford Crossing charge will increase from October as the way motorists have to pay the ... This will apply to both UK and foreign vehicles.

[Mamyalynne]

See Baldric,now look - you've spoiled Blackadder's night....Those damn foreigners blah blah.

[BlackadderV]

//non-UK vehicles being issued via a European debt recovery agency.///

...and the band played, 'Believe it if you like'.

[Baldric]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-on-course-for-dart-charge-savings

///Foreign drivers have been setting up accounts too, with 3% of overall accounts - around the same proportion of foreign vehicles that that use the crossing each day. Registrations from 52 different countries have been received so far.///

[ToraToraTora]

so blackadder is correct we are relying on them volunteering, right oh!

[Old_Geezer]

Use of a county's road system should be free to users. Any other system is IMO uncivilized. A road system is vital to the country and should be paid for via a budget from general taxation. If one feels foreign drivers should contribute they could be purchasing a road pass on entry to the country. this idea of having bits one has to pay for is abominable. Either the road costs or covered, or they are not and need to be.

[mushroom25]

"ask Boris, he's in charge"

no he isn't. operation of the dartford crossing is vested in the Highways Agency, not TfL.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dart-charge

[TWR]

I can see a increase in & around M25>>> Seven oaks>>Heathrow>>M4>>M40.

[New Judge]

I cannot really see that, TWR.

Although the fee is rising (for cars from £2.00 to £2.50, third off for account holders and similar rises for other classes of vehicles) I cannot see drivers who want to cross the river from, say, the south-east to the east and north, driving the "wrong way" round the M25 to avoid a £2.50 toll.

[TWR]

N.J. You have heard of the Toll M6? A lot of company's will not pay the toll & have the Drivers sit in Queue's on the old Elevated M6 South going onto the M5. They should apply for the "Fast Tag" from their country of departure.

[New Judge]

Yes, TWR, but this change and the small increase that accompanies it surely will not encourage companies to pay the costs of operating their vehicles for what would be a considerably extra lengthy journey.

[jourdain2]

I've already had a question about this on 'motoring'. Why on Earth can't they leave just one 'chuck the money in' lane? In practice it is going to make using the crossing quite for difficult for us, we have to find some shop, somewhere to pay by card within a certain time limit - this is on top of a long and tiring journey. We are quite happy to pay, won't be online for ages (moving house and country, so no internet server) and haven't a clue how you are supposed to pay by phone. Nightmare! We will happily chuck money into a bucket!

[TWR]

Not disagreeing in any way, the things that these haulage Company's try to save on would open your eyes, as you know, the Bridge has now paid for itself, so let it be what was meant to be, FREE.

[EDDIE51]

How will they instruct a European debt recovery agency when we have no records of who is the registered owner/keeper/driver of vehicles from most of Europe?
I heard we have records for France and Ireland but that's it.