The M25 was a substitute for tbe North and South circular roads and Maggies baby. The concept was great but what we ended up with was a great disappointment. I have spent many hours parked out there between junctions. It was always the same streaches that I couldn't avoid. I had my ideas of how it could have been improved but of course no one was listening to me.
Having said that it was realy only at rush hours that it was a problem, other times it was supurb. The biggest problem apart from needing mote lanes was the fact that there were too many junction too close together. Anotber major problem was tbe tolls at the Dartford crossing which should have been scrapped many years ago. Those tunnels and the bridge have been paid for many times over and all the moey has gone to the Kent county council.
AA comment
The M25 at Dartford is a strategic national road serving all parts of the UK and is also part of the trans-European road network – as such it has to be expected that many drivers will be unaware of the arrangements, penalties for non-payment, operational hours or have the luxury of timing their journeys to coincide with the non-charging hours. The AA has expressed concerns about this to the Highways Agency.
There was a 33% hike in charges in 2012 and drivers will face a further 25% increase when free flow charging is introduced.
In October 2012, responding to the increase in charges, the AA said that long distance travellers from UK and Europe, freight, business and regional users have all been sold down the river through the unnecessary perpetuation of charges and a lack of investment in future capacity at Dartford.
By 2003, toll charges had effectively paid for the Dartford bridge and should have come to an end but a regime of road user charging to 'manage high demand' was introduced and has become a nice little earner, raising around £70m a year.
Elsewhere in Europe there is a facility at some 'free flow' toll plazas for foreign drivers to pay by credit card and this might have been very helpful at Dartford had there been the space and capacity.
It would also have been useful for Dartford’s charging system to be ‘interoperable’ so that EU drivers with an account would find it easier to pay.
Free-flow charging may eliminate toll-booth queues and reduce congestion in the short term but most users have no choice about the time and place they cross the Thames. This is one of the most important motorways in Europe and it needs more capacity, not easier ways to pay.
