We live near the crossing and this year has been hell. Most of my work is based over Oxford/Reading way so I use the M25 to get home. I now always go clockwise and across the bridge to get home as the tunnel and the approaches to it have become screwed since they altered the road layouts by it.
It's so bad that I rarely come off at the A2 exit as I peviously did as it's now quicker to come off at the A20 and use the back roads to get home.
The roads around Greenhithe can become gridlocked at the slightest issue with the tunnel . The Christmas weeks are bad enough as it is due to the Bluewater traffic and they also want to build a massive theme park. Add that onto the tunnel issues and it's a living nightmare.
Drivers in the South East sit in gridlock for hours to make a journey less than a kilometre long, and they have to pay for this privilege. All the earnings are used to pay an admin team based in Leeds, and all profits are siphoned off to France.
A great deal for this South Eastern drivers and taxpayers who entirely funded the crossing.
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
They, er, have.
Have they? - Last time (May) I went into Essex the barriers were still there to control the traffic flow... I know they have coming the other way
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
They, er, have.
Have they? - Last time (May) I went into Essex the barriers were still there to control the traffic flow... I know they have coming the other way
Not sure what you mean by barriers then. I've travelled both through the tunnel and across the bridge about 12 times in the last year and never encountered barriers.
Drivers in the South East sit in gridlock for hours to make a journey less than a kilometre long, and they have to pay for this privilege. All the earnings are used to pay an admin team based in Leeds, and all profits are siphoned off to France.
A great deal for this South Eastern drivers and taxpayers who entirely funded the crossing.
Don't worry, we sit in gridlock traffic here too. 4pm-8pm the entire city is fucked every single day.
Drivers in the South East sit in gridlock for hours to make a journey less than a kilometre long, and they have to pay for this privilege. All the earnings are used to pay an admin team based in Leeds, and all profits are siphoned off to France.
A great deal for this South Eastern drivers and taxpayers who entirely funded the crossing.
Don't worry, we sit in gridlock traffic here too. 4pm-8pm the entire city is fucked every single day.
Does Leeds send millions of pounds each year to Thurrock (most of which Thurrock sends to a foreign country) for the privilege of doing so though?
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
They, er, have.
Have they? - Last time (May) I went into Essex the barriers were still there to control the traffic flow... I know they have coming the other way
Not sure what you mean by barriers then. I've travelled both through the tunnel and across the bridge about 12 times in the last year and never encountered barriers.
I encountered these (just minus the Toll Booth roof etc.) when I last went across in May
Unless I'm confusing myself with what @Macronate has said about them
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
They, er, have.
Have they? - Last time (May) I went into Essex the barriers were still there to control the traffic flow... I know they have coming the other way
Not sure what you mean by barriers then. I've travelled both through the tunnel and across the bridge about 12 times in the last year and never encountered barriers.
I encountered these (just minus the Toll Booth roof etc.) when I last went across in May
Unless I'm confusing myself with what @Macronate has said about them
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
They, er, have.
Have they? - Last time (May) I went into Essex the barriers were still there to control the traffic flow... I know they have coming the other way
Not sure what you mean by barriers then. I've travelled both through the tunnel and across the bridge about 12 times in the last year and never encountered barriers.
I encountered these (just minus the Toll Booth roof etc.) when I last went across in May
Unless I'm confusing myself with what @Macronate has said about them
They are no longer there
Must be the traffic light system I've confused myself with.
Regardless why is that there when no other other crossing uses it (Even coming the other way from Essex)
I must admit it is difficult to see what exactly now precedes the tunnel, considering every time I have made that crossing I seem to have done it at the same time the combined fleets of the five largest haulage companies in Europe appear to be making the crossing at the exact same time.
There's a few remaining issues. Firstly the last junction before the tunnel on the Kent side is horrendous, lorries joining from Crossways and Slade Green/Erith/Thamesmead industrial estates. Secondly they close the left tunnel regularly to allow dangerous loads through.
The first is expensive and time consuming to fix, the junction needs completely redesigning and rebuilding.
The second is baffling. With the huge issues it causes I'm not sure why dangerous loads aren't banned (or charged at a massively punitive rate) during the 6am-10pm period. This would be a simple change to make and would yield massive benefits as there would be no need to close the left tunnel during day time hours.
Another thing they could do is strictly enforce the stay in lane rules, possibly from as far back as the A2, but definitely from the Princes Road junction. A huge amount of the congestion is caused by lanes having to slow/stop to allow the persistent lane changers in.
There's a few remaining issues. Firstly the last junction before the tunnel on the Kent side is horrendous, lorries joining from Crossways and Slade Green/Erith/Thamesmead industrial estates. Secondly they close the left tunnel regularly to allow dangerous loads through.
The first is expensive and time consuming to fix, the junction needs completely redesigning and rebuilding.
The second is baffling. With the huge issues it causes I'm not sure why dangerous loads aren't banned (or charged at a massively punitive rate) during the 6am-10pm period. This would be a simple change to make and would yield massive benefits as there would be no need to close the left tunnel during day time hours.
Another thing they could do is strictly enforce the stay in lane rules, possibly from as far back as the A2, but definitely from the Princes Road junction. A huge amount of the congestion is caused by lanes having to slow/stop to allow the persistent lane changers in.
How many people actually obey the "Stay in Lane" rules though whenever they're in force else where?
Agreed though that there should be a limit when Dangerous Loads are allowed to use the roads
Just prior to my wedding I was having an argument with ParcelForce because they took longer to send something needed for the weeding when it was part of their 48-hour service (Instead took four days) and one thing I was told was that their lorries when going from hub to hub, only transport items overnight rather than during the daytime.
If its that case for them then why not other Companies?
(Understandable not all could do this... i.e. Builders Merchants for one)
What doesnt help are the idiot drivers who go at 5mph in traffic because they dont want to close a growing gap and so stop and refind the biting point in their manual car again.
If you see someone doing that you should be allowed to shoot their tyres with a dart gun!!
Sadly I have to use the tunnels/bridge a couple of times a month and the norm is hold ups. I find that going to Essex via the tunnels is the worse part of the crossing due to the fact tanker lorries need to be escorted through the left hand tunnel.
What tends to happen is the tankers have to pull over in a controlled zone on the left hand side, then once there is enough of them a red traffic signal appears stopping the flow of traffic in the left hand tunnel allowing the tanker lorries out, complete with their Dartford Tunnel escort vehicle. It stands to reason this red light going on and off all day will slow the traffic down, eventually to a stand still.
When I am approaching the tunnels I always get over into the right hand lanes to ensure I travel through the right hand tunnel as this is not controlled by the traffic signals for the tankers.
More often or not when I go through the tunnels the left hand one is being held at a red stop light.
Coming back the bridge is a breeze, very few hold ups apart from the speed cameras.
And because its not a large area they cant let the tankers build up by the side, only letting them through once an hour (i.e. Build a Service Station there).
Yet at the same time if they were to do that, it would probably take an hour to clear a large build up of tankers creating the same sort of issue
There's a few remaining issues. Firstly the last junction before the tunnel on the Kent side is horrendous, lorries joining from Crossways and Slade Green/Erith/Thamesmead industrial estates. Secondly they close the left tunnel regularly to allow dangerous loads through.
The first is expensive and time consuming to fix, the junction needs completely redesigning and rebuilding.
The second is baffling. With the huge issues it causes I'm not sure why dangerous loads aren't banned (or charged at a massively punitive rate) during the 6am-10pm period. This would be a simple change to make and would yield massive benefits as there would be no need to close the left tunnel during day time hours.
Another thing they could do is strictly enforce the stay in lane rules, possibly from as far back as the A2, but definitely from the Princes Road junction. A huge amount of the congestion is caused by lanes having to slow/stop to allow the persistent lane changers in.
The thing is, after 10pm, one tunnel is always, but always closed for "routine maintenance" or some emergency works. So you'd still get queues, probably right up until around midnight, if not later.
I think that whole issue has been made worse by the road- widening scheme immediately after the tunnels on the Essex side too.
I dont understand why there needs to be barriers... Yes its to control traffic from getting gridlocked in the tunnel if there is a breakdown or accident BUT... Why then are there no Barriers @ Blackwall etc. when its a much nastier tunnel to drive through and is easier to have an accident in?
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
I stand to be corrected because, not being a HGV driver I don't pay much attention to the signage, but their seem to be a whole raft of things banned from the Blackwall tunnel altogether. I'm guessing that petrol tankers are one of the banned vehicles and that's why they don't have the escorted convoys.
Living in Eynsford, about 6 miles from the tunnel, it makes life a nightmare far too often. The taking away of the barriers has not improved the flow in the tunnels (for the reasons already mentioned) and I don't understand why tankers can't be restricted to certain times. The knock on effect of the build up of traffic at the M25 Dartford Crossing blights all the surrounding area. When the traffic piles through the villages to avoid bits of the M25, it gridlocks the villages, wing mirrors get smashed by HGVs in narrow roads etc. It took nearly an hour and a half last week to get from my house (6 miles) to just through the tunnel because of a wide load! Hate the thing and still paying for it!
One of the main reasons I moved away from Bexleyheath was because of the congestion on the M25 leading into the tunnels. I could get from my office in Maidstone to the M25 in 30 minutes and then take at least that again, sometime longer just to get off onto the A2.
The ex-wife and I share custody of our daughter between Gravesend and Petts Wood. I've lost count of the number of times both of us have been caught between J2 and J3 of the M25 in the last year or so.
We both just use the A2 now and take the M25 out of the equation altogether (as long as the A2 doesn't get gridlocked by it, which has happened on a number of occasions!)
I work I Sevenoaks but live in Belvedere and struggle with my commute due to the Dartford tolls. The new design has made it a dam site worse and always use the A roads because the cues are horrendous and I don't even use the tunnel! Any hold ups just make the journey worse and then end up going down country lanes to avoid the traffic. The DOT say its better since the new tolls have been introduced is a joke. It's only going to get worse until they find another way round this problem.
Comments
https://video-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t42.1790-2/14893266_1123893774354045_5515282820370530304_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjMwMCwicmxhIjo1MTIsInZlbmNvZGVfdGFnIjoidjNfNDI2X2NyZl8yM19tYWluXzMuMF9zZCJ9&rl=300&vabr=166&oh=a346619361453a97869fdc3f2540f318&oe=5813317D
It's so bad that I rarely come off at the A2 exit as I peviously did as it's now quicker to come off at the A20 and use the back roads to get home.
The roads around Greenhithe can become gridlocked at the slightest issue with the tunnel . The Christmas weeks are bad enough as it is due to the Bluewater traffic and they also want to build a massive theme park. Add that onto the tunnel issues and it's a living nightmare.
Drivers in the South East sit in gridlock for hours to make a journey less than a kilometre long, and they have to pay for this privilege. All the earnings are used to pay an admin team based in Leeds, and all profits are siphoned off to France.
A great deal for this South Eastern drivers and taxpayers who entirely funded the crossing.
Remove the barriers and I reckon it'll solve half the issues
So much for improving the flow of traffic.
The 'barriers' when the lights go red are up and down all the time.
Complete mess.
Unless I'm confusing myself with what @Macronate has said about them
Regardless why is that there when no other other crossing uses it (Even coming the other way from Essex)
The first is expensive and time consuming to fix, the junction needs completely redesigning and rebuilding.
The second is baffling. With the huge issues it causes I'm not sure why dangerous loads aren't banned (or charged at a massively punitive rate) during the 6am-10pm period. This would be a simple change to make and would yield massive benefits as there would be no need to close the left tunnel during day time hours.
Another thing they could do is strictly enforce the stay in lane rules, possibly from as far back as the A2, but definitely from the Princes Road junction. A huge amount of the congestion is caused by lanes having to slow/stop to allow the persistent lane changers in.
Agreed though that there should be a limit when Dangerous Loads are allowed to use the roads
Just prior to my wedding I was having an argument with ParcelForce because they took longer to send something needed for the weeding when it was part of their 48-hour service (Instead took four days) and one thing I was told was that their lorries when going from hub to hub, only transport items overnight rather than during the daytime.
If its that case for them then why not other Companies?
(Understandable not all could do this... i.e. Builders Merchants for one)
If you see someone doing that you should be allowed to shoot their tyres with a dart gun!!
What tends to happen is the tankers have to pull over in a controlled zone on the left hand side, then once there is enough of them a red traffic signal appears stopping the flow of traffic in the left hand tunnel allowing the tanker lorries out, complete with their Dartford Tunnel escort vehicle. It stands to reason this red light going on and off all day will slow the traffic down, eventually to a stand still.
When I am approaching the tunnels I always get over into the right hand lanes to ensure I travel through the right hand tunnel as this is not controlled by the traffic signals for the tankers.
More often or not when I go through the tunnels the left hand one is being held at a red stop light.
Coming back the bridge is a breeze, very few hold ups apart from the speed cameras.
Yet at the same time if they were to do that, it would probably take an hour to clear a large build up of tankers creating the same sort of issue
I think that whole issue has been made worse by the road- widening scheme immediately after the tunnels on the Essex side too. I stand to be corrected because, not being a HGV driver I don't pay much attention to the signage, but their seem to be a whole raft of things banned from the Blackwall tunnel altogether. I'm guessing that petrol tankers are one of the banned vehicles and that's why they don't have the escorted convoys.
Hate the thing and still paying for it!
'Intermittent lane closures'.
Wankers!
We both just use the A2 now and take the M25 out of the equation altogether (as long as the A2 doesn't get gridlocked by it, which has happened on a number of occasions!)