Adam Holloway, MP

Adam Holloway: Dartford Tolls – Government minister reveals that contract with Crossing contractor is barrier to tolls’ reform

Continuing his fight for a fair discount scheme for all Gravesham residents using the Dartford Crossing and following the government's consultation to raise the tax at the tolls, Adam has repeatedly raised questions regarding the government's reaction to his suggestion of a one week toll free trial to measure pollution and congestion at the Crossing.

In a letter from the minister this week, it is revealed that the government could not run a one week toll free trial as suggested by Adam because it was not written into the terms of the contract with the contractor which runs the Crossing.

Responding Adam said:

"Surely the government ran the tender process for this contract and also wrote the conditions of the contract. It is incumbent on a government to serve the people rather than hide behind contracts.

"I would also prefer the government to be upfront and admit that the Crossing raises taxes that go straight into the Treasury coffers rather than putting up barriers to consider a sensible and straight forward proposal that thousands of people across north Kent support.

"Furthermore, I believe that the government has locked itself into a contract which ties its hands and prevents it from axing the tolls which would, according to the government's own report, allow an extra 6,500 vehicles per hour through the Crossing.

"Even if the Government simply can not do without the money for tolls - then at the very least they should look at relieving the congestion, perhaps by having more toll booths in one direction only."

On Friday, 25^th April, I addressed supporters who backed my one-week toll free trial at the Dartford Tunnel as part of the Government’s consultation process on the Dartford Dart Tag scheme.

I asked the Secretary of State for Transport to implement a one-week toll free trial to measure the traffic, congestion and environmental impact by suspending the tolls.

Unfortunately, it was rejected.  Those who use the crossing think it would save time – those who have looked at maps of the crossing say it would not.

This is a rejection of local and regional opinion who support this initiative.  It is also a rejection of the majority who believed that once the QE11 bridge was paid for, we would see an Axing of the Stealth Tax that is the toll levy.

Heaven only knows what personal miseries follow from people in a hurry - waiting to pay their one pound.

Thank you to everyone who came today, including MPs Bob Neill, David Evennett, the Freight Trade Association and colleagues, Gary Johnson from Dartford and Jackie Doyle-Price from Thurrock.

Background notes:

• Adam Holloway and PPC for Darford, Gareth Johnson, have asked the Government to introduce a one-week trial when the tolls will be removed to assess its actual impact on journey times and queues.This trial would take place as part of the consultation process. Adam and Gareth believe that there would be free flow of traffic, less pollution, fewer traffic jams and would speed up journey times and make business more effective. This could be very simple and quick to put in place and should form part of the consultation process. This would settle the argument once and for all about congestion and whether this form of road tax is justified. The Government has admitted that the discounted passes for local residents using the crossing may not be permanent and could be rescinded at any time and this is just yet another stealth tax. They have also raised the issue of tackling fraud where out of district travellers may use friends and family in the discounted areas to obtain fraudulent passes.Adam Holloway has reviewed two road use and toll charging studies produced for the Highways Agency on the options available for the Dartford Crossing and finds that the most logical scenarios are not being considered as part of the current consultation process.
• He also believes that the company, Jacobs Babtie, author of the report, Getting the most out of the Dartford Crossing is not being totally honest with the public as they were awarded the contract to run the toll system in 2003 and that their report produced in 2004 is subsequent to the contract being awarded by the Highways Agency.
• Two reports, Brown and Root, August 2001 and Jacobs Babtie, 2004 both refer to the option of scrapping tolls southbound which would ease congestion. The Babtie report states, “….. toll plazas are the inherent constraint southbound and the possible removal of the toll plazas and the introduction of additional lanes for the potential to increase the capacity and alleviate congestion." It also refers to the construction of an additional lane southbound which would allow an extra 8000 vehicles an hour or one-way tolling would increase the flow of traffic by 6400 vehicles an hour. An earlier report states that increased toll charges would move traffic to the Blackwall Tunnel and also adversely affects the low paid. Adam questions why Babtie, the company which was awarded the Le Crossing contract, is also the author a the report that should be an objective view. How can this be so when they have a vested interest in keeping the tolls which pays for their contract?·The statistics the Government uses state that by removing the tolls traffic could increase by 17%. The report states that this could be between 12-18%. The report titled, Getting the most out of the Dartford Crossing, is a misnomer.
• Nearby local authorities (and therefore locally elected representatives) have not been consulted – with the exception of Dartford and Thurrock. It is essential that those living in nearby areas should be alerted. In Kent, this should include people living in parts of Gravesham, Sevenoaks, Bexley, Sidcup and Bexleyheath, for example.