The new Dart Charge and “free-flow” system went live yesterday, Sunday 30 November, but the construction of the second phase of work to complete the changeover will continue over the next few weeks.
FTA’s head of road network management policy – Malcolm Bingham commented: ‘The toll booths at Dartford have caused massive problems with congestion over the years and the free-flow system will hopefully see the end of the queues we have become used to there. However, as the second phase of work continues FTA is warning that we shouldn’t expect to see the immediate benefits of the Dart-Charge as there is likely to be some disruption as the work is completed.’
The Highways Agency are looking to carry out the work overnight to reduce the impact on the greater amount of journeys. Therefore motorists are advised to check their journey before they travel to make sure that they have the latest information on the works to convert the current system to ‘free-flow.’
FTA has previously expressed support for the free-flow system, saying that it would be ‘good news for the freight industry’ in its response to the Department for Transport consultation on the proposals to revise the road-charging regime.
Bingham added: ‘FTA has worked closely with the Highways Agency to implement the introduction of “free-flow” at Dartford and we believe that the sooner it is up-and-running the sooner we will see better journey reliability through this important piece of road infrastructure.’
