Motoring groups have criticised the decision to increase Dartford Crossing charges by 40%.
Transport minister Lilian Greenwood announced fees for the crossing, which features a bridge and two tunnels connecting Thurrock in Essex with Dartford in Kent, will rise from September 1 to “manage traffic”.
Examples of increases for one-off payments in from £2.50 to £3.50 for cars, from £3 to £4.20 for coaches and vans, and from £6 to £8.40 for lorries.
It is the first time prices have gone up since 2013.
With up to 180,000 vehicles using the crossing on the busiest days, Ms Greenwood described the traffic levels as “well in excess of the crossing’s design capacity, causing delays for drivers using the crossing, congestion and journey disruption to drivers on the M25 and a range of knock-on impacts for local communities”.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “The claim that this 40% increase in the charge is all about managing traffic will raise more than a few eyebrows given that those making the crossing have little alternative but to do so.
“Most people will, understandably, and probably rightly, see this move as nothing else but a revenue raiser.”
Edmund King, AA president, said: “Long-distance travellers from the UK and Europe, freight, business and regional users have all been sold down the river by successive governments through the unnecessary perpetuation of tolls and lack of future capacity at Dartford.
“Tolling was supposed to pay for the Dartford Bridge and then end, which would have been in 2003.
“However, it became a nice little earner which raised tens of millions of pounds every year.
“Ramping up the tolls by an extra pound, when the majority of users have no alternative about the time and place they cross the Thames, is simply road charging and a bridge too far.”
James Barwise, Road Haulage Association (RHA) policy lead, said: “Dartford remains the only practical Thames crossing for HGVs and coaches in the South East.
“It’s therefore regrettable that the charge increase has been so significant.
“This adds to running costs at an already financially challenging time for many businesses in our sector (HGVs, coaches and vans) and ultimately pushes up prices for consumers.”
The Government has given the go ahead for the Lower Thames Crossing, which it hopes will reducing congestion on the Dartford Crossing
The new crossing will connect the A2 and M2 in Kent to the A13 and M25 in Essex via a 2.6-mile tunnel under the Thames, which would be the UK’s longest road tunnel.
Work on the project has been ongoing since 2009, and more than £800 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on planning.
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