The government is set to bring in an extra £46m next year from the increase in Dartford Crossing charges.
The fee for using either the tunnel or the bridge is due to rise from £2.50 to £3.50 on 1 September, although there will be a 70p discount for drivers who pre-pay, says Kent Online.
The increase in extra revenue resulted in renewed calls by Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran for a slice of the windfall, the size of which she described as “astonishing and shocking”. It seems more likely that the money will be used to fund the Lower Thames Crossing.
The news emerged after Highways magazine submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Department for Transport (DfT). DfT said the income raised by the new charges will be between £36m and £46m (gross) in the first year, according to the publication.
Cllr Kemkaran remarked:
“Kent residents and drivers were promised that the Dartford Crossing toll would end when the infrastructure was paid for, but convenient changes in policy mean the charge has continued indefinitely. These massive profits from the increase in charges will simply bolster the government’s coffers and are astonishing and shocking, considering this is effectively another tax increase that will hit hard-working people who have no choice but to use the crossing.
“As I outlined in my recent letter to the Secretary of State for Transport there is no reasonable alternative route for anyone in Kent making the journey to the Midlands, North and beyond. This places huge constraints on the local and national economy. On top of this, the Crossing’s accounts for 2023-24 show that cash receipts were £221.6m with operating costs of £134.9m, leaving a net profit of £86.7m. That is before this unacceptable increase goes ahead.”
Cllr Kemkaran renewed calls to be allowed some of the extra income to “maintain and improve our roads for the benefit of Kent residents and motorists”.
DfT derived its projected increase in gross income by modelling of anticipated traffic flows between 2016 and 2033, factoring in the retail price index, but the government department said its estimate should be “treated with caution given the limitations of the assessment”, and consequently that the “expected trends for changed traffic demand are the more pertinent consideration”.
(Pic: Yay Images)
