On 08/10/2012 16:17, d wrote:
On Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:18:42 +0100
Dave Plowman wrote:
Perhaps it has escaped your notice, but we had a change of government
quite some time ago. And they don't appear to intend scrapping the charge
either, by the changes being proposed.

True, but then they never promised they would unlike Labour.

I doubt the government cares so long as they can screw citizens over
here for even more tax money.

Apart from those on the highest income tax band, of course.

Oh dear, here comes the politics of envy. You just can't help yourself can
you. So is that top end tax rise to 50% a myth then?

B2003

The above is all wrong.

The Conservative government set up a deal in the 1980s by which Trafalgar
House would construct the bridge and improve the A282. They would collect
tolls until a formula-calculated amount had been collected, then hand the
entire crossing back to the DoT, which would then abolish the tolls. That was
the deal.

What happened was that Trafalgar House kept to the deal.

But when they handed the crossing back to the state, Labour had taken over. A
Labour cretin by the name of Steven Ladyman (a Parly under-sec at Transport),
together with The Mouth Of The Humber, decided to welsh on the deal and
continued to collect tolls, arguing (deceitfully) that "public opinion" (on
the basis of a mysterious survey) supported the tolls as a "congestion
charge". That was an outright lie.

That deal having been decidedly wrecked, the incoming Conservative government
probably needs to collect the money to help pay Gordon Brown's debts. Far
from ideal, but at least not as dishonest as Labour with their "public
opinion" lie.

On 08/10/2012 11:29, d wrote:

On Mon, 8 Oct 2012 10:52:05 +0100
"tim....." wrote:
entirely satisfactory. Most seem to work on a pre-payment "honesty" basis

I like the idea of that. Let the mugs pay and the rest of us drive over
the bridge that was paid for by tolls in 2003 after which Lying Labour said
the tolls would be removed. Naturally, being a cash cow they weren't.
And the tunnel was paid for by central government as per the rest of the road
system and should never have had tolls in the first place.

Actually, the first tunnel (and later, the second one) was paid for by the
ratepayers of Essex and Kent, with the tolls offsetting some of that (in the
early days, there was nowhere near the traffic there is nowadays).

The crossing (then consisting only of the tunnels) was peremptorily taken
over by the government and leased to Trafalgar House, who had promised to
build the bridge and improve the A282 access road, in return for the right to
collect a formula-calculated amount in tolls (which has now been collected,
with the crossing reverting to the government.

It *ought* to have reverted to Essex and Kent, and those counties should be
able to either abolish the tolls, or set the charges and use the proceeds to
offset council tax.

On Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:10:37 +0100
JNugent wrote:
It *ought* to have reverted to Essex and Kent, and those counties should be
able to either abolish the tolls, or set the charges and use the proceeds to
offset council tax.

Given how councils use any excuse to collect fines these days, I doubt they'd
get rid of the tolls so we wouldn't be any better off if it was in council
hands. Like most politicians they wouldn't see the big picture of how the
queues and tolls affects the wider economy.

B2003

wrote in message
...
I heard on LBC this morning that apparently the toll gates will be gone by
2014
and a "free flow" system will be implemented. How does this work? Is
everyone
who every uses the bridge going to have to by an electronic tag or will
they
just do it by number plate recognition and send you a bill for 2 quid in
the
post? Or will they use ANPR to send you a fine of 100 quid if you don't
buy a tag (no doubt expensive) and just drive through?

However it works, I'm sure it will be easy for people who drive the route
regularly, but no doubt awkward and complicated for people who go that route
once a year!

wrote in message
...
I heard on LBC this morning that apparently the toll gates will be gone by
2014
and a "free flow" system will be implemented. How does this work? Is
everyone
who every uses the bridge going to have to by an electronic tag or will
they
just do it by number plate recognition and send you a bill for 2 quid in
the
post? Or will they use ANPR to send you a fine of 100 quid if you don't
buy a tag (no doubt expensive) and just drive through?

Will probably be a free for all for foreign registered vehicles and
trucks.

well...

According to news out today, the system of collection will be "manual post
payment"

Quite frankly that sucks. In this era of modern technology that is what we
should be using, not a Noddy system that we could have implemented 20 years
ago.

Especially if they continue to make it free between 22:00 and 06:00. How
will someone know if they have snuck into the free period and thus don't
have to phone up to pay, or just missed it by a couple of seconds and do?

tim

In message , at 10:29:43 on Mon, 5 Nov
2012, tim..... remarked:
Especially if they continue to make it free between 22:00 and 06:00.
How will someone know if they have snuck into the free period and thus
don't have to phone up to pay, or just missed it by a couple of seconds
and do?

They could send that hat round for an illuminated sign informing road
users of the situation.
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 10:29:43 on Mon, 5 Nov
2012, tim..... remarked:
Especially if they continue to make it free between 22:00 and 06:00. How
will someone know if they have snuck into the free period and thus don't
have to phone up to pay, or just missed it by a couple of seconds and do?

They could send that hat round for an illuminated sign informing road
users of the situation.

There's still the possibility of the sign changing the instant that you pass
it.

tim

In message , at 12:42:16 on Mon, 5 Nov
2012, tim..... remarked:
Especially if they continue to make it free between 22:00 and 06:00.
How will someone know if they have snuck into the free period and
thus don't have to phone up to pay, or just missed it by a couple of
seconds and do?

They could send that hat round for an illuminated sign informing road
users of the situation.

There's still the possibility of the sign changing the instant that you
pass it.

What happens now if you turn up at the toll booth one second before the
deadline?
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 12:42:16 on Mon, 5 Nov
2012, tim..... remarked:
Especially if they continue to make it free between 22:00 and 06:00. How
will someone know if they have snuck into the free period and thus don't
have to phone up to pay, or just missed it by a couple of seconds and
do?

They could send that hat round for an illuminated sign informing road
users of the situation.

There's still the possibility of the sign changing the instant that you
pass it.

What happens now if you turn up at the toll booth one second before the
deadline?

there *isn't* a barrier in your way

tim

On Mon, 5 Nov 2012 10:29:43 -0000
"tim....." wrote:
According to news out today, the system of collection will be "manual post
payment"

Quite frankly that sucks. In this era of modern technology that is what we
should be using, not a Noddy system that we could have implemented 20 years
ago.

In 2012 we shouldn't be paying for the damn thing at all. Both the bridge
and tunnel were paid off years ago.

B2003