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Dartford Crossing charges-Changes from end of November

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Heads up for anyone from North of the Thames heading to the Tunnel or Ferry ports this winter.
No toll booths any more to speed up traffic details here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dart-charge-dartford-crossing-remote-payment
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
rofl@ no congestion

so as a one off user, I need to log on and create an account for a single journey, else European debt recovery agency will come chasing? or did I miss a thing where you can pay by SMS (probably UK only) or online for a single crossing?
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@andy, if you create an account and top up with £10 you can get the crossing at a discount (£1.67 as opposed to £2.50). and this is how to pay otherwise. No signs of SMS option.

Quote:
Alternatively once Dart Charge is in place you will be able to make one-off payments in advance or by midnight the day after crossing:

online at www.gov.uk/dart-charge
over the phone by calling: 0300 300 0120
via a payzone retail outlet
by post (in advance only): Dart Charge Customer Services PO Box 842 Leeds LS1 9QF
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
ah missed that bit. was looking at the payment page, but of course you can't yet.
so when I get a rental car @ LCY and drive to my parents it'll be logistically easier to go via Blackwall Tunnel, and I know I won't get Avis billing me 2x £2.50 plus £30 admin fee. Nor the next 17 rental car users billing off my a/c when Dart are slack at removing car reg. plates from my account.
but Blackwall Tunnel is not so convenient for those travelling from M1 to A2/M20.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@andy, as we use Dartford several times a year, I will just have a pre-pai account I think, as I only need to stick a tenner on it, but I can see where it will be more difficult for foreign users. The good thing is not needing to faff about making sure we have enough change for the tolls on the way back.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
Wouldn't it be nice if they could have tied this in with a SANEF doofer
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Boris, the tag they use at the moment is a doofer. Every time we go through we get an 'invalid' notice until we drop the cash in the basket.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

rofl@ no congestion

I suspect many people like me will just avoid the Datford crossing and go round the M25 to the South, even if it means more miles.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I tried to sign up for an account last week but the address look-up functionality doesn't seem to work with UK address formats. I wonder why.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
I tried to sign up today - but after putting in all my details it just throw an error (twice)! It's not going to be great success if we can't even register!
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@RobinS, I registered OK this morning.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Thanks for the heads up re this. I think I will continue using the M40 and go anticlockwise round the M25 NCP carpark wink
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Hells Bells, Tried again "An unexpected error happened on the server." Maybe lots of people are now signing up and it has fallen over.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@RobinS, Yep, same error message for me (on two separate occasions about 4 hours apart). Evil or Very Mad
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Error for me too... self abusing halfwits... and I work indirectly for the Highways Agency GRRRRRR
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@johnE, Dartford crossing v the carnage that is M40, Heathrow, M4 and M3. I think they're both as bad as each other.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Worked for me - one account, two cars, ten quid initially and ten quid top up when it drops below ten quid. I think that was the minimum. They hold a maximum of £18.33 of my money but if that saves the hassle it is well spent.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
As usual these changes take no account of anyone who uses the crossing rarely. We use it about once every two or three years and would not be aware of this change if it was not for Toofy Grin
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But there will be signs as you approach the crossings, with instructions and you can pay afterwards like the london congestion charges.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Scarpa, Still giving an error for me!!!!!!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@RobinS, And for me! I tried again this morning using both Firefox and Internet Explorer in case it was specific to the browser I was using, but no luck. Government Depts and IT - what could possibly go wrong..... rolling eyes
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We don't half make this difficult in the UK. Sure have a system for regular users but then have a lane for visitors, folks making their annual pilgrimage to Dover, those not on line etc - they might have to queue a bit but heh ho. Imagine if we had to have an account for every toll - Severn, Humber, M6 relief road, Dunham and (for the lovers of the obscure) Aldwark Bridge - we would have quite a lump sum tied up just to stay in credit.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Hells Bells, thanks for highlighting this. Mrs a had seen it on the news, but I had missed it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Quote:


rofl@ no congestion

We had a similar issue on the Main morotway around Dublin, the barrier left and by magic the congestion dissapered! The barrier free toll works well here.
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It's funny how the change to how we pay is introduced at the same time as a 25% price hike.... Evil or Very Mad

And how are they planning to chase foreign drivers with no account for the money?
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Kruisler, In Ireland, they don't bother! They chase rental car companies etc, but have found it more efficient and economical based on the small number of foreign registered cars not to chase them. This excludes vehicles registered in NI which the do pursue.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I had an altercation with the Dartford Bridge toll last time I used that crossing having messed up on getting UK currency, they did not accept Euros (I had tried to get cash at several ATMs on my way up to the bridge but nothing was working for my bank for some odd reason). I forget how we resolved it and I came back via the M4 side. Does this mean that in future as a driver of a non-British car I will not have to pay? I really don't get that as a business model. Lots of foreign tourists coming from and to the Channel ports in their own vehicles will have also problems.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

And how are they planning to chase foreign drivers with no account for the money?

it says they'll use european debt recovery agencies

expect lots of fake websites cropping up, providing a service for a fee a bit like EHIC renewals (which reminds me... that deserves an annual reminder)
although I think Central London Congestion Charge is similar, and I have no idea if there are any fake sites for that.

if avoiding the Dartford Tunnel, I'd pick Blackwall Tunnel or Woolwich ferry, but I spose that really depends on whether you're using M40, M1 or M11 from the North or M26/M20, or A2/M2 on the South side. M40->M26 might make sense going anticlockwise. M1->A2 would be a bit silly to avoid £2.50 and/or the hassle of actually paying it.

edit: and if it won't accept BIC/IBAN (IBAN only from whenever they abandon BIC), then I'll just stick my reg. plate on my parents a/c and pay them £2.50 when I visit. Assuming of course they have managed to create an a/c Wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@andy, how do you pay the London congestion charge and where does it come into action? I rarely go into London unless forced to and then I tend to stop outside and use public transport.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
andy wrote:
Quote:

And how are they planning to chase foreign drivers with no account for the money?

it says they'll use european debt recovery agencies

expect lots of fake websites cropping up, providing a service for a fee a bit like EHIC renewals (which reminds me... that deserves an annual reminder)
although I think Central London Congestion Charge is similar, and I have no idea if there are any fake sites for that.

if avoiding the Dartford Tunnel, I'd pick Blackwall Tunnel or Woolwich ferry, but I spose that really depends on whether you're using M40, M1 or M11 from the North or M26/M20, or A2/M2 on the South side. M40->M26 might make sense going anticlockwise. M1->A2 would be a bit silly to avoid £2.50 and/or the hassle of actually paying it.

edit: and if it won't accept BIC/IBAN (IBAN only from whenever they abandon BIC), then I'll just stick my reg. plate on my parents a/c and pay them £2.50 when I visit. Assuming of course they have managed to create an a/c Wink


Or just pay at the petrol station, same as congestion charge.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
andy wrote:
Quote:

And how are they planning to chase foreign drivers with no account for the money?

it says they'll use european debt recovery agencies

I am curious how that will work since AFAIK even the various police forces have not had access to number plates data to chase speeding offences and the UK has opted out of an agreement that would have enabled that..
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

even the various police forces have not had access to number plates data to chase speeding offences

won't they need that now to check road fund licensing, now we don't have "tax discs"?

Every cowboy parking firm seems to have access to number plate data - can't believe the police don't.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Samerberg Sue, afaik, similar - either by SMS or online within 24 hours. I've not been in that far during a time period when billing is in force. edit: and the last times, I dump car outside friends house in Wandsworth (FoC), and use free transport to get in to town on New Years Eve (pointless driving, and cops swarm everywhere on that night knowing they'll get a good score of drink drivers)

@Kruisler, dunno. maybe it's just a threat, and to make UK car owners think that foreign cars don't get away free? when in fact it may be that they reserve the right to chase, but ultimately it comes down to whether a debt recovery agency in that country has access to registration details in a similar fashion to the parking cowboys in UK (at least England+Wales). I can try to find out by driving a diesel van thru the Dartford Tunnel, into the London Emissions Zone that probably a lot of people don't know about either, and then a trip thru Central London Twisted Evil
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How does it work for the London Congestion Charge?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
It works like this - I drive into the C-Zone and don't pay. Several weeks later I get several threatening letters from a Parking Collection Agency (I've forgotten the name now) based south of London, along with a picture of my vehicle crossing into the C-Zone, and a treatise (law bods correct me here, it's an invitation, not a demand is what I'm after) I have to pay, in hideously bad Swedish (which is a standard template they send out to all lands, I understand). Whilst I may have a moral obligation to pay I have no legal obligation driving a foreign-plated vehicle. I assume the same thing here will apply to the Dartford Crossing.

Same thing applies to council PCNs - picked up one in London, they didn't even bother to chase me.

I wouldn't ignore it mind you if I absolutely knew I wasn't going to return with the same vehicle. This in order to avoid it being towed whilst back on British soil. On this occasion I was already thinking about getting rid of said vehicle and probably knew in all honesty that it wouldn't be going back to Blighty.

I don't care about the C-Charge though, I make a moral stand against it since I'm against congestion charging and road tolling in any form. That's what VED is for. Unfortunately no one told Stockholm and Gothenburg's politicians that...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
still crashing
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
surely all this just encourages to use false number plates
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
managed to do it second attempt
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@pam w,
UK police forces have access to the DVLA data so they're OK for tax discs / Insurance / speed traps on UK registered vehicles, but I was under the impression that they didn't have access to data on foreign vehicles. That said if someone received letters about London congestion charge in Sweden maybe I'm mistaken....
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@Kruisler, no, it's a UK "cowboy" (according to me, despite plastering the letter with TfL logs it is not a demand nor does it come from TfL), who have of course bought the data/collection rights from TfL (it even states so in the letter but as far as I'm concerned they don't have a leg to stand on). As far as I'm aware there is no data-sharing agreement across the EU at present, but certain countries can and do share data with each other. What is really interesting is how many plates the "cowboy" can actually misinterpret, since Latvian and Swedish plates aren't a million miles from each other (nor Hungarian either for that matter).
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