The future of the Dartford Crossing is to be revealed in October when the Government announce their spending plans for the whole of this Parliament.

The recent Emergency Budget (22 June) stated that ' At the conclusion of the Spending Review (20 Oct), decisions will be made on the future capacity at the Dartford Crossing, and the possibilities for letting out a concession.'

Cllr Clarence Barrett (RA, Cranham), has led a two year campaign to scrap the toll said: "Following my 10,000 strong petition to the previous government to scrap the tolls, this man-made road block continues to cause misery for thousands of drivers every day while causing untold damage to the environment through excessive volumes of exhaust fumes while traffic stacks back mile upon mile.

"Even though the cost of the crossing was paid off in 2002, the toll is still applied but is bizarrely called a 'congestion charge'!

"If the crossing goes into some form of private ownership, the tolls will not only remain but are likely to increase even further from the existing £1.50 charge.

"While I will continue to campaign for the abolition of the toll, if it is to be applied then new technology, similar to that used for the London congestion charge, should be used."

A petition calling for the crossing to be kept in public hands and the toll to be scrapped can be viewed and signed at haveringra.org.uk. A facebook group of some 3,500 members is also campaigning for the abolition of the toll.

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