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Dartford Crossing - barriers to be removed, but not the charge

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  • I'm sure we'll receive an email to simply revalidate your card in the account?
  • Oh n what are the chances of the price of a crossing going up at the same time then…🤔
  • Confusion over new Dartford Crossing payment system

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66334629
  • clive said:

    Confusion over new Dartford Crossing payment system

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66334629
    yep - tried to revalidate bank details last week and told to do it from today and you can't 
  • Motorists crossing the Thames between Kent and Essex are still struggling to pay for their journeys following the introduction of a new system.

    Customers say they cannot access the website or have been placed in an online queue to pay their charge.

    Those who used the crossing over the weekend had been told to pay by Tuesday or face a fine.

    However, National Highways said it would be extending its payment deadline but did not specify until when.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66361486

  • Dart Charge: Issues continue for Dartford Crossing users

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-66370666
  • Still can't get in to re-validate my account
  • MrOneLung said:
    Still can't get in to re-validate my account
    Did ours yesterday after a couple of futile attempts.

    The website leaves a lot to be desired and the accompanying instructions unclear.
  • Managed to get in and update mine today.  (Also managed to leave a highly abusive message with the American owners of the new payment processors.)
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  • Had to wait in line on line for about 10 mins before getting into my account and have updated this evening.
  • Same here Guinness.  
  • Does anyone know if I need to update my account as  got a local residence account. Haven’t had any notification, but we only pay £20 once a year in November.
  • Happy Birthday to the Dartford crossing, 60 today.
    Archive photos of the Dartford Crossing have been released to mark 60 years since it first opened.
    More than a billion vehicles are thought to have used the crossing since the first tunnel opened on 18 November 1963, National Highways said.
    The RAC said motorists using the Dartford Crossing were always required to pay a toll, which in 1963 cost 2 shillings & sixpence.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4n482ezz0lo

  • Two shillings and sixpence, half a crown, 2/6 ... outrageous!
  • Drivers from across the UK said they had received fines for unpaid journeys on the Dartford Crossing despite never having been there.

    The issue seems to be caused by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras wrongly identifying vehicles with similar licence plates.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6288ey03y1o

  • edited August 12
    clive said:

    Drivers from across the UK said they had received fines for unpaid journeys on the Dartford Crossing despite never having been there.

    The issue seems to be caused by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras wrongly identifying vehicles with similar licence plates.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6288ey03y1o

    Cloned plates also possibly?
  • Mr Adams had hired a vehicle from Enterprise Cars to transport goods from Rochester to Durham in the north east.

    Although he and his office staff tried to pay for the journey online, he said the Dart Charge system "wouldn't allow it because it didn't recognise the licence plate".

    He said that by the time he contacted Dart Charge it was too late to pay the crossing fee and he was told to wait for the penalty charge notice and submit an appeal.

    Mr Adams said he has since been told by the hire firm that this frequently happens with new vehicles.

    He said he was annoyed at facing a fine when he believed the Dart Charge system was at fault, and "profiting from enforcing fines that should not apply".

    A National Highways spokesperson said: “In some cases, manual checks are needed to make sure crossing details are accurate. This can delay those crossings being visible on the website.

    "However, customers can still pay for these crossings at any time up to midnight the following day, whether the crossing is visible online or not.

    “The easiest option for customers is to pay every time and on time. We’ve made this easy by offering different ways to pay which suit everyone’s needs.

    "We want to make paying as stress-free as possible and limit any additional admin for our customers.

    “In a minority of circumstances, penalty charges are issued in error. Where this happens, the charge will be cancelled as soon as a customer contacts us to let us know they are not the registered keeper of the vehicle."

    A quote from the article

    So essentially the advice when the system doesn't recognise a number plate is "pay on time and you won't get fined" even though you can't pay because the number plate isn't in the system? The "spokesperson" quote seems like it's taken straight off of ChatGPT, why can't government departments and big companies even pretend to care about the common man anymore?
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  • Another factor here is foreign registered plates that correspond to a UK registered vehicle. Such vehicles are required to be registered with DVLA within 6 months of import. There are thousands of such plates across the south east. Pick a foreign registered plate in your street and put it in https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/ and you will likely find a different vehicle registered against an unwitting UK owner.

    It is the statutory responsibility of DVLA to enforce re-registration of overseas registered plates. However they request information in writing (via snail mail) in order to commence investigations. Consequently there is very limited enforcement in practice. Such vehicles continue to run up parking fines of all sorts which DVLA, TFL, or councils will try to collect from someone unrelated to the relevant vehicle.
  • I've got an account, so payments come out automatically, but I've had a few crossings that have never shown up on my account.  
  • Gribbo said:
    I've got an account, so payments come out automatically, but I've had a few crossings that have never shown up on my account.  

    What's your reg? Just asking for a friend.
  • edited August 12
    The incidence of rogue charges is tiny but practically impossible to justify.
    Telling that the contractor rarely puts up any resistance when people appeal the fines, strongly suggests it knows its case is shaky at best.
    Sending blurry photos as 'evidence' is a waste of everybody's time and effort.
    I never wash the number plates on the car for this exact reason - strategic blob of guano might be invaluable
    Also probably makes very little difference to their revenue, they're getting a fee for running the system irrespective of how busy it is.
    DVLA's massive admin backlog will be partly responsible but they're an easy target.

    As for ANPR misidentifying cars, that's too much of a stretch - what are the odds that a plate one digit away from yours is the same make model and colour?
    Even rental cars that might be bought and registered in bulk are all different colours.

    Was under the previous contractor but I definitely missed the deadline to pay a crossing, realised about 12 hours too late, so paid £2.50 then anyway to hedge my bets.
    Returned 3 days later and paid as normal within the deadline.  Never got a penalty notice and the 'late' £2.50 payment sat there valid until I next crossed to the essex badlands.
    There was some urban B/S of the crossing company exercising leniency with 'first time offenders' but that was nonsense.  More likely the ANPR was unclear/faulty or obscured by vehicles changing lanes and obscuring the shot.

    On a similar theme, how long after making a speed camera flash has anybody received the paperwork for the speeding fine/points? How long until I'm in the clear?
  • Billy_Mix said:
    The incidence of rogue charges is tiny but practically impossible to justify.
    Telling that the contractor rarely puts up any resistance when people appeal the fines, strongly suggests it knows its case is shaky at best.
    Sending blurry photos as 'evidence' is a waste of everybody's time and effort.
    I never wash the number plates on the car for this exact reason - strategic blob of guano might be invaluable
    Also probably makes very little difference to their revenue, they're getting a fee for running the system irrespective of how busy it is.
    DVLA's massive admin backlog will be partly responsible but they're an easy target.

    As for ANPR misidentifying cars, that's too much of a stretch - what are the odds that a plate one digit away from yours is the same make model and colour?
    Even rental cars that might be bought and registered in bulk are all different colours.

    Was under the previous contractor but I definitely missed the deadline to pay a crossing, realised about 12 hours too late, so paid £2.50 then anyway to hedge my bets.
    Returned 3 days later and paid as normal within the deadline.  Never got a penalty notice and the 'late' £2.50 payment sat there valid until I next crossed to the essex badlands.
    There was some urban B/S of the crossing company exercising leniency with 'first time offenders' but that was nonsense.  More likely the ANPR was unclear/faulty or obscured by vehicles changing lanes and obscuring the shot.

    On a similar theme, how long after making a speed camera flash has anybody received the paperwork for the speeding fine/points? How long until I'm in the clear?
    I forgot to pay the Dartford toll and received a penalty notice but I appealed and was let off as a first time offender. Don't know if that is official policy but it definitely happened.

    On the speed camera thing, I believe the police have to serve notice of intended prosecution on the registered keeper within 14 days of the offence.

  • I crossed it twice within a few days a couple of years ago and made the mistake of putting O instead of 0 in me reg but made me payment . As I was a first time 'offender' (or even 2nd on the journey back) they let me off the fine
  • McCartney said:
    I crossed it twice within a few days a couple of years ago and made the mistake of putting O instead of 0 in me reg but made me payment . As I was a first time 'offender' (or even 2nd on the journey back) they let me off the fine
    Is that you Sir Paul ?
  • McCartney said:
    I crossed it twice within a few days a couple of years ago and made the mistake of putting O instead of 0 in me reg but made me payment . As I was a first time 'offender' (or even 2nd on the journey back) they let me off the fine
    Is that you Sir Paul ?
    I was just pleased once I'd paid my Ticket To Ride they let me Drive My Car .👍

  • Billy_Mix said:
    The incidence of rogue charges is tiny but practically impossible to justify.
    Telling that the contractor rarely puts up any resistance when people appeal the fines, strongly suggests it knows its case is shaky at best.
    Sending blurry photos as 'evidence' is a waste of everybody's time and effort.
    I never wash the number plates on the car for this exact reason - strategic blob of guano might be invaluable
    Also probably makes very little difference to their revenue, they're getting a fee for running the system irrespective of how busy it is.
    DVLA's massive admin backlog will be partly responsible but they're an easy target.

    As for ANPR misidentifying cars, that's too much of a stretch - what are the odds that a plate one digit away from yours is the same make model and colour?
    Even rental cars that might be bought and registered in bulk are all different colours.

    Was under the previous contractor but I definitely missed the deadline to pay a crossing, realised about 12 hours too late, so paid £2.50 then anyway to hedge my bets.
    Returned 3 days later and paid as normal within the deadline.  Never got a penalty notice and the 'late' £2.50 payment sat there valid until I next crossed to the essex badlands.
    There was some urban B/S of the crossing company exercising leniency with 'first time offenders' but that was nonsense.  More likely the ANPR was unclear/faulty or obscured by vehicles changing lanes and obscuring the shot.

    On a similar theme, how long after making a speed camera flash has anybody received the paperwork for the speeding fine/points? How long until I'm in the clear?
    Usually 2 to 3 weeks…..but depends whereabouts in the country and their workload.
  • McCartney said:
    McCartney said:
    I crossed it twice within a few days a couple of years ago and made the mistake of putting O instead of 0 in me reg but made me payment . As I was a first time 'offender' (or even 2nd on the journey back) they let me off the fine
    Is that you Sir Paul ?
    I was just pleased once I'd paid my Ticket To Ride they let me Drive My Car .👍

    Thought, he had a yellow submarine.
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