In message , at 09:09:50 on
Sun, 3 Jul 2011, Basil Jet remarked:

I didn't realise the "toll" period at Dartford was over. I remember when
it was owned by the two county councils, and the money they took didn't
even pay off the interest for building the tunnels. Maybe it should have
been a bridge from the beginning if it's taken that much money so quickly!

But that's provided a useful definition, and as the Congestion Charge is
for roads which were built and paid for in some cases generations ago,
it seems to take it out of the "toll" category. Indeed, as the money is
supposed to go towards public transport, they aren't even claiming it's
to pay for the roads. (Yes, I know some public transport uses the roads).

When you consider what the traffic jams are like when the tube is on
strike, spending the congestion charge on public transport is every bit
as logical as spending the Dartford toll money on paying off the debt
from building the crossing.

It's logical, but it's not spending *on* the roads themselves.

Maybe the M6 Toll is a more contemporary example of a road where the
money collected is going towards the provision of the road itself.

In Nottingham they are beginning to take registrations for the workplace
parking levy (~£250/yr/space). The money there is going towards the new
tram line, not roads, and especially not more parking spaces in the
City! So perhaps it's a pure "parking space tax". Discuss.
--
Roland Perry