“Cash Cow” driver charged £559 million on “Naughty” UK toll road | UK | News

Drivers are rapidly approaching intersections where driving costs can be driven off the road. Rising insurance premiums, expensive breakdown covers, large fuel prices, and rocket costs for parts all contribute to empty tanks in terms of bank balances.

But if that's not enough, the indicators show a growing ambition by agencies to charge drivers to charge drivers on certain routes to mitigate construction costs, maintenance, or congestion. At the end of last month, the Thames intersection below linking Essex and Kent was approved with a toll that is expected to recover a portion of the estimated £8.95 billion that the project would cost.

And tomorrow, the latest UK toll roads will open in the form of the Silvertown Tunnel in East London. In return for a new, shiny road across the Thames, car drivers and small vans will need to diverge from a peak toll of £4.

The same fees are also charged for use of the nearby Blackwall Tunnel at peak times, which previously offered free passage throughout its 128-year history.

London Transport (TFL) requires that they take cash from drivers to “support control of traffic levels” across both tunnels, and to repay the costs of the scheme and assist in maintenance and operation.

But as with other UK paid routes, it is unknown when, or when the fees will actually end up x, or in fact. There are definitely some concessions and exemptions, including a 50% discount for drivers who live in nearby London Borough or city and are registered as receiving certain benefits.

Small businesses, sole traders and charities registered in Greenwich, Newham or Tower Hamlet can also apply for a £1 discount on up to three vehicles at an off-peak £1.50 rate. But everyone else needs to fork a full bang.

There are 20 toll roads scattered throughout the UK. The most expensive is the M6 ​​Toll Road, north of Birmingham, which allows drivers to be reverted to £9.90.

There is also the M25 Dartford Crossing, operated by the government agency National Highway, which charges £2.50 for the vehicle. And then there are 10 A-roads listed by the cost-bearing RAC, with their beloved ones being the A19 Tyne Tunnel (£2.40) east of Newcastle and the A38 Tamar Bridge (£2.60) between Devon and Cornwall.

Dartford Crossing is the only government-run toll, and the National Highway collects fees on behalf of the fees. The rest is operated personally by companies including Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL) and Road Management Group (RMG).

The Prince of Wales Bridge toll, previously known as Severn Crossing, was discarded on December 17th, 2018.

Jack Kussen, AA's road manager, said: “To some extent, drivers are tinkering with tolls as long as they pay to maintain the roads and bridges they use.”

However, he believes that the Prince of Wales bridge was “paid several times” before it became free, and that removing the fees was a “little talkinism” from the previous government.

Certainly, his opinion is that “too often” drivers will tell them that when income is paid for the infrastructure, they will remove the victims and, sadly, these moments “rarely arrive.”

He cites the Dartford intersection as “a very good example of this.” “It's more than I've paid money in terms of income over the years, and the bill still exists,” he says. Drivers may wonder if this applies to the Silver Town Tunnel.

The Express request for freedom of information reveals that more than £559 million was paid with tolls to cross Dartford between 2020 and 2024. My biggest growing up in the year was over £188 million in 2022.

Without charging, traffic will increase and “a significant reduction in economic benefits from the intersection,” according to National Highways. The fees collected at the intersections will be used by law to “finance transportation improvements across the UK and cannot be funded solely for local transportation improvements.” The driver can pay in advance to use the Dartford intersection, which will put money in the account and cash will be taken from the pot if necessary.

However, Cousens tells Express that if the driver doesn't use all that money within a certain period of time, the bridge has “absorbed” it. This is described as a “naughty” and the boss should have asked the driver if he wanted it instead.

The Department of Transport (DFT) has admitted that prior to 2021, drivers were notified that their accounts were at risk of closure and invited to take action to keep them open. But even if they didn't do anything, the excess balance was not returned. The spokesperson adds: “Dartford's cross-charging manages traffic, provides more reliable travel time for freight traffic, increases efficiency and grows the economy.

“This fee also helps maintain the intersection. Without it, it will increase congestion significantly and economic growth will increase significantly. After 12 months of inactivity, you will be able to contact the DART billing account owner and be given whether to keep your account open or get your money back. If you don't respond, you will receive an automatic refund.”

Howard Cox, founder of Fairfruck, who claims to have stopped the £20 billion fuel tax hike since 2010, says the government has been using drivers as “trusted cash cows” 10 years from now. He adds: “The most important benefit of using these roads is convenience, as it significantly reduces travel time. However, for this driving benefit, governments, local governments and owners believe they are entitled to acquire hard-earned cash from drivers and businesses.”

Cox added: “The UK roads are worse than many other developed countries.

He believes the Dartford intersection is a “good case” and “with the promise that the toll will be scrapped once the costs for the new bridge building are reached.” The campaigner adds: “The promises were broken, so the national highway agency continued to force drivers to pay profits.

“The intersections are always in traffic and construction costs have since been repaid, but as a convenient scarration congestion pricing scheme from April 1, 2003, the tolls were retained and rebranded.” He also emphasized that the tolls on the Force Road Bridge were removed in 2008, saying, “So why is it still a payment boulevard to cross Dartford? It's for opportunistic benefits, as the bridge is fully paid.”

Overall, government, local government and London mayor Sadiq Khan accused Ures critic Cox, who ran against Labour's incumbents in 2024 as a reformed UK candidate, as they are their “easiest and fastest” cash source. “Drivers should be seen as a solution to the cost that stimulates the lives crisis and economic growth.

“There must be a long-term, at least 20 years of road user strategy created by people who understand road transport and the impact on the economy. Our thoughtful, market-driven approach to energy and transportation policies can serve current and future generations and ensure sustainability without compromising economic growth.”

He believes Silvertown Tunnel will become “the fleece driver and only trader.” Cox talks about the rooferd, where major clients live in Lewisham, in Poplar, north of the Thames. The businessman told him the new toll would cost £260 a month and works at a 5% margin. As a result, it “cleans away” much of his profits from this client, ensuring that his company will become “unfeasible.”

Cox adds: “Companies have no choice but to raise trading prices. The local economy is attacked harshly. Many only traders say they have given up on London as an opportunity to make a living.”

A spokesman for the mayor of London said: “Railways now face chronic crowds around the Black Wall Tunnel, with hundreds of closures and tailbacks losing traffic every year, including discounts for small businesses, sole traders and low-income Londoners.”

John Wilmot, CEO of Car Leaseloco, Car Leasing comparison site Leaseloco, is more positive about toll roads and feels they are “general positive initiatives.” For example, tolls are particularly effective on trafficked highways such as the M25 and M6, “are frequently rippling during rush hour.” As is the case, experts point out that tolls can have the opposite effect, as drivers can detour to smaller roads and often take longer routes to avoid paying fees.

“Introducing more paid lanes will encourage drivers to choose faster routes and help mitigate traffic flow,” Wilmott suggests. “However, to ensure accessibility for the majority of drivers, fees must be reasonable. In an ideal world, revenues will be reinvested in road maintenance, which will significantly benefit the UK economy and create incentives for drivers to use these lanes. However, Wilmott warns: “Some tolls can be very expensive and some drivers may be skeptical of the allocation of funds.”

“These concerns often arise when drivers encounter roads that are not maintained in certain regions, leading to discussions about whether toll revenue is being distributed considerably or spent in ways that benefit the whole country.” He calls for “increasing transparency around how tolls are used.” This could help “rebuild trust between drivers and ensure that the Toll system achieves its intended purpose.

It will not take us long to know whether the Silvertown Tunnel will achieve one of its central objectives and facilitate crowding on the gliding corner of London.