On 15/12/2018 10:45, tim... wrote:
"Robin" wrote in message
...
On 14/12/2018 17:55, tim... wrote:
"Robin" wrote in message
...
On 14/12/2018 16:10, tim... wrote:
wrote in message
news
On Fri, 14 Dec 2018 13:13:53 -0000
"tim..." wrote:
wrote in message
news
On Mon, 10 Dec 2018 14:57:35 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at
14:33:09 on
Mon, 10 Dec 2018, Billy No Mates Billy No
remarked:
Going back to one of your earlier suggestions, it might be more
tolerable if the system was smart enough to allow a small
number of
free visits by any vehicle to the zone (say, two per month),
and only
imposed a charge after that was exceeded. It would ensure that
people
regularly driving in the zone invested in clean vehicles, but
rare
visitors weren't impeded.
The authorities seem wedded to the idea of nickel-and-diming
everyone
whenever they can. It'd also be great to get half a dozen free
trips at
the Dartford Crossing a year, or maybe half a dozen peak-time
rail fares
at the off-peak rate.
The new dart charge was designed to make it a PITA to pay in
order to
extract
fines from those who don't.
ITYF that's Cock-up, not Conspiracy
I'm not sure it is in this case. A significant proportion of the
traffic
will be ad hoc trips of cars trucks and vans just passing through
or heading to
the ports who they know will probably forget (regular users will
simply have an
account). There was no reason not to retain a few pay by cash or
contactless
kiosks and its not as it its made a huge difference to the queues
anyway
especially on the northbound through the tunnel which is is the
real bottleneck.
I think you underestimate the chaos which "a few kiosks" would cause.
Northbound there's enough zig-zagging of traffic trying to get into
the correct lane of a tunnel already, plus the problem of the
junction joining only a few 100 yards before the tunnel
I agree that something along the lines of pay stations at service
areas on the M2/20/25 would be a useful feature.
You can pay by phone so would this be for those who don't have a
mobile phone or those who want to pay in cash?
It'll be for those who don't know the number to phone because they
didn't have time to take it down as they drove past (if it's even
there - I forget)
I would be very surprised if anyone who was ignorant of the toll in
advance but asked politely for the number at any of the services on
the M25/M2/M20 - or at the ferry/Eurotunnel terminal - would fail to
get it, if only from a passing member of the public.
And the phone and postal services for the Dart Charge seem quaint and
indulgent compared with the toll roads in eg Sydney where it's
electronic or else - including for visitors in hire cars.
Presumably rental companies have a way to provide this
Well I suppose they'll provide the website if you don't know it already.
It's the one I gave you a link for where it states "you can set up an
electronic pass before you leave home or up to three days after you
travel on a toll road".
It's not like I'm going to roll up in my UK registered car, is it?
How do I know? I've seen UK registered cars in use in Aus.
Unlike in Portugal, where I have a map that shows some motorways as
having traditional "pay at kiosk" tolls and others as toll-free
Unfortunately, the latter have now been changed to e-tolls.Â* And where
does a foreigner get the e-toll card, you might ask?Â* At the border as
they enter the country on one of these roads.
If you enter the country some other way and happen across one of these
e-till roads later, you are ****ed
It's nonsense like this that is just asking for the EU to impose common
standards, but they can't be bothered
--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid