Transport Minister, Tom King, Has Rejected Appeals For The Government To Take Over Responsibility Of The Dartford Tunnel

Transport Minister visits the Dartford Tunnel toll station.

Scenes of the area around the toll booths at the Kent entrance to the Dartford Tunnel, signposted AUTO TOLLS. Video of bollards leading up to the barriers, queues of traffic, the toll charges sign and drivers paying the uniformed staff at the booths. No video of the tunnel. Tom King MP, Secretary of State for Transport, gets into a Land Rover. Interviewed by Anglia TV reporter Jeremy Payne, Tom King says he has no criticism of the way the tunnel toll is operating. He says it is important that charges do cover the costs involved in running the tunnel. Asked whether a deficit in tolls without a rise could become a burden Essex and Kent ratepayers, he says the costs should be covered by the tunnel users through the toll charges. This video was made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Road tunnels; Dartford Tunnel; Road transport; Toll roads; Members of Parliament

Additional Description

The Dartford Crossing opened in stages: the west tunnel in 1963, the east tunnel in 1980 and the bridge in 1991. The Dartford Tunnel Act 1967 gave Kent and Essex County Councils authority to alter the tolls, and in December 1977 the toll was raised from 25p to 35p for cars, 40p to 55p for 2 axle goods vehicles, and 60p to 85p for HGVs. By 1984, the toll for cars had risen to 60p. The bridge was planned and constructed to relieve additional traffic after the opening of the M25 orbital motorway. In 1988 the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 transferred control of the crossing from Kent and Essex County Councils to a private company, Dartford River Crossing Limited. The toll booths were removed in 2014 and replaced with a number plate recognition system.