FTA slams 'unacceptable' Dartford toll hikes




Not the best news for London Gateway





The UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) is “disappointed” at news of the rise in charges at the Dartford River Crossing.Under Secretary of State for Transport Mike Penning revealed the increases as part of “plans to tackle congestion and to deliver future improvement at the Dartford-Thurrock crossing”.The FTA was quick to back its members, saying it considers additional costs at the tolls “unacceptable” to the freight industry.The first rise in costs to be implemented will be in October, when the toll charge for a HGV will jump to £5, which the FTA described as “a significant increase from the present £3.70”.A second hike is planned for 2014 up to £6 each way.Operators who use the popular Dart-Tag will not escape the price jump, seeing that cost rising from £3.20 to £4.33 in October.Malcolm Bingham, the FTA’s Head of Road Network Management Policy, said: “We are disappointed, as we feel that the government has not taken any notice of us at all. We had asked them to peg the Dart-Tag fee.“Any toll increase is damaging to our members.”In response to the Department for Transport consultation on the proposals to revise the road user charging regime, the FTA had voiced its concern at planned rises, pointing out that the Dartford crossing was “an essential piece of infrastructure, vital to the effectiveness of the logistics industry for whom no efficient alternative route exists”. It added: “Current levels of congestion – which we believe to a large extent result from the existing charging systems – impose significant costs on the industry and lead to increased emissions.”








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