UKC

So, an update to this thread on the new toll arrangements for the Dart crossing http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=622563

Today I received a letter telling me I've not paid my £2.50 from the crossing I made in July and there will be a £70 fixed penalty unless I pay within 14 days. As I live in Guernsey and was driving my Guernsey-registered car I suspect they will chase down anyone the numberplate cameras can catch.

In reply to Toerag:

Your post is a mite confusing. I genuinely did think this was a little ferry somewhere between Dartmouth and Totnes. I then wondered why it was supposed to affect every vehicle travelling to the continent.

DartFORD, right?

In reply to Toerag:

Erm can I ask if you received the fpn through EDRA or if your vehicle is registered with the dvla?

In reply to Toerag:

This isn't an update, it's just your particular problem.

http://i.imgur.com/lSJX9W7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://forums.overclockers.co....

In reply to Toerag:

Im not being funny but I went that way the other day and there were a LOT of signs. According to google there are 50 road signs telling you to pay on line.

I don't understand.

In reply to Naamah:


I'm not registered with the DVLA because I am effectively in a foreign country - I am no different to a motorist from France, Germany, Russia, Turkey etc. I assume the persons responsible for the toll have obtained my information from Guernsey's Vehicle Registration and Licensing Department (our equivalent of the DVLA).

In reply to marsbar:



Yes, there are lots of signs, but none telling you a) how much the charge is and b) what the Dart charge is actually for c) how to avoid it and d) how to pay by means other than online. To a 'foreigner' like myself the signs mean very little, to a foreigner that doesn't understand English they mean even less. As I was on holiday at the time there was no way I was going to go out of my way to find internet access or pay extortionate data roaming charges for something I was being told nothing about.

In reply to silhouette:


Don't blame me, blame the person who decided to call it that instead of the Dartford charge. Bloney marketing people!

In reply to Toerag:

It's on the signs ring 0300 300 0120 to pay over the phone.

In reply to Orgsm:

so how do I write that down whilst driving in heavy, yet swift traffic? As per the original thread, the new payment system is b0ll0cks for people that don't know about it beforehand.

In reply to Toerag:

You don't, you remember it and write it down later.

In reply to Toerag:

Or if course you look it up online later.

In reply to Toerag:

We've all had the same problem.
It was poorly advertised and my first awareness of it was an argument on Radio 4.
But you get used to it.

In reply to Toerag:

Can you pm me please. I might be able to help BUT I might not.

Make a representation as to why you didn't pay. If that is rejected...make an appeal. If that is rejected you may still have to pay but it will be for the discounted amount not the full amount the fpn was issued for...

PM me please if you would like.

In reply to Toerag:

It would be great if I could pay in advance, but why should I give them a tenner for £3.34 worth of crossings?
(1.67 each way pre pay cost)

A very poor system!

In reply to Ghastly Rubberfeet:


Er, make that £20 if you set up a direct debit. They take £10 when you sign up then £10 each time your balance drops below £10. So the first time you cross the charge triggers the second £10 to be paid.
What a lovely little earner for them.

I read this thread before using the crossing last weekend for the first time since the charge came in. The signage is appalling, I can only assume it's deliberately designed to be technically legally enforceable while at the same time being obscure enough to generate the maximum revenue from fines.

In reply to csambrook:

I totally disagree. There are multiple signs counting down for several miles to the crossing and they clearly state that there is a charge between six and ten and that you need to pay online by midnight the next day.

I don't think it could be much clearer.

In reply to marsbar:


Try approaching from the A2/M2, in the dark, and the rain, with leaves on the trees.

There certainly are signs but most of them are quite subtle and blend into the general mess of signage and lights. I was looking and the only one I saw which had the word "pay" was the one after the crossing which said "pay by midnight tomorrow".

As a Brit who already knows about the need to pay (indeed I'd set it up in advance) it wasn't a problem but a foreigner wouldn't stand much chance. The internationally recognised word is "toll" and there really isn't a reason that couldn't have been used. Better still a price board would really draw attention to the need to pay, but that's not what they want is it?

In reply to csambrook:

I admit it wasn't dark.