Stop Dartford Crossing toll during heavy congestion, AA boss says
Stop Dartford Crossing toll during heavy congestion, AA boss says
Gareth CorfieldSat, August 15, 2026 at 7:54 AM UTC
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The Dartford Crossing is formed of two tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II bridge - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Dartford Crossing tolls should be suspended at times of high congestion caused by roadworks, the boss of The AA has said.
Edmund King, president of the motoring organisation, called for the £3.50-a-time charge for using the Thames crossing to be lifted whenever roadworks or accidents caused tailbacks on the bridge or the approaches to its associated tunnels.
It comes after The Telegraph revealed that the crossing had cost motorists a record-breaking £189m over the past year – a figure which jumped by £50m, or 35 per cent from the year before.
Part of the increase in toll income was driven by Labour ministers raising the crossing toll by 40 per cent for car drivers last September.
Mr King argued: “If drivers are forced to pay a charge to use the Dartford Crossing then it is only fair that the charge should be lifted if delays are caused by road works or highway authorities not clearing incidents within a set time.”
“Otherwise, drivers are paying ‘money for nothing’ and getting no value from their payment,” he continued, calling on the Government to deliver a “fair deal” for motorists.
Mr King argued that money given to the government by drivers for using the Dartford Crossing was arguably a payment in exchange for a service.
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In 2009, Karen Dunnell, the then national statistician, explained to the House of Commons’s transport committee that “bridge toll charges are payments made for vehicles to use the roads within a defined zone”, adding that these are “therefore classified as payments for a service”.
Lifting or reimbursing tolls when traffic congestion within the control of the authorities builds up is a system that has been successfully introduced in Italy.
Drivers who are delayed by between one and two hours receive 50 per cent of their toll payments back from the government. Those stuck for more than three hours receive a total reimbursement of their fees.
Italian road authorities are incentivised to avoid putting out stretches of cones for extended periods because drivers can claim a full refund for using stretches of toll roads where there are any roadworks present at all.
Up to 180,000 vehicles per day use the Dartford Crossing - Xiu Bao /Alamy Stock Photo
A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesman said: “Charges were increased last September to keep the crossing safe and running smoothly, as it’s now being used by far more vehicles each day than it was built for.
“Every penny of Dart charge revenue is reinvested in transport projects, including those benefitting people across Essex and Kent such as supporting the Lower Thames Crossing, which reduces the burden on the public purse.”
Up to 180,000 vehicles per day use the crossing’s two tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, whereas its design capacity is 135,000 vehicles.
Source: “AOL Money”
