15/01/2018

[Newspaper Column] Dartford Rip-Off

Each week the Romford Recorder and Ilford Recorder have the Steve N Allen column. If you're around East London and West Essex you can buy the newspaper every Thursday/Friday, or follow @mrstevenallen to see the columns on Twitter. You can also read the archive of past ones, which can be found here.


You can click the image to zoom in on the paper, or read the column below.

When I heard that the toll at the Severn bridges are to be scrapped at the end of the year I got excited t that the same might happen at Dartford. Sadly we heard there are no plans to scrap the Dartford toll.

When the charge was brought in they said it would be scrapped when then new bridge was paid for but the reneged on that.

We're so used to it when it's about a large bridge but think of it like this. You hired a builder to build you an extension. You set up a direct debit to pay for it. When you have paid for the work the builder says, "Actually, we're going to keep charging you?"

When asked to explain why tolls on the Dartford Crossing remain a Government spokesperson said that the charges at Dartford have not increased in more than three years.

"Dear builder, why are you still taking money out of my account for the extension even though it's paid off?"

"Erm, well, we haven't started taking more out, so shut it."

You would get upset and the builder would say, "Don't worry, we'll be using your money to help build a Lower Thames extension a few doors down."

Remember when the Pope said to Donald Trump we shouldn't be building walls we should be building bridge? Don't fall for it. You'll be paying that off forever.

This is a reminder that we're just cash cows. Why do we put up with it? We wouldn't in the case of a builder. We'd take them to court or call in Dominic Littlewood.

I would write letters to my member of parliament about it but I don't have the time. I spend most of my day queuing for a certain bridge.

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