Toll roads

[eggsarascal]

I've got to go to Dartford next week so checked what the charge is for the crossing, it's £3. I use the toll road on the M6 when I go to the Midlands (I realise it's a lot longer road than Dartford crossing), it costs £11. I wonder why the M6 toll road is deserted most of the time?

[Graham]

22 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

I've got to go to Dartford next week so checked what the charge is for the crossing, it's £3. I use the toll road on the M6 when I go to the Midlands (I realise it's a lot longer road than Dartford crossing), it costs £11. I wonder why the M6 toll road is deserted most of the time?

Did some work on their hedges and fences.  I don't know how it pays given the maintenance side they've got set up...plus all the other costs I would have no idea about.

 

[Mark Bolam]

Dartford is much shorter.

It’s bound to be cheaper.

Idiot.

[eggsarascal]

2 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Dartford is much shorter.

It’s bound to be cheaper.

Idiot.

Yes, I pointed that out in the first post. Would it not be more financially beneficial if more traffic was using the M6 toll road?

 

I travel the full length of it and most times it's near on empty. That could be due to the time of day I use it mind.

[htb]

who wants to go to dartford anyway, or is it to get out of there

[djbobbins]

Market economy and all that... M6 toll is no quicker / only minutes different than going on the M6 other than at peak times. Whereas if I was in Essex and wanted to get to Kent, the next toll-free alternative would be the Blackwall tunnel, which is going to take a while to get to and from.

Therefore there's not a huge reason for people to use the M6 Toll much of the time, but plenty of reason to use Dartford bridge / tunnels. A former colleague of mine used to commute every day from Telford to Coventry and said that although using the toll road would have made his journey quicker, it would have cost him about £200 per month - about 10% of his take home pay at the time.

(I accept this is a generalisation and specific people's circumstances may differ!).

[eggsarascal]

16 minutes ago, htb said:

who wants to go to dartford anyway, or is it to get out of there

SAS style visits only. Get in, grab what's needed and get out.

[eggsarascal]

30 minutes ago, djbobbins said:

Market economy and all that... M6 toll is no quicker / only minutes different than going on the M6 other than at peak times. Whereas if I was in Essex and wanted to get to Kent, the next toll-free alternative would be the Blackwall tunnel, which is going to take a while to get to and from.

Therefore there's not a huge reason for people to use the M6 Toll much of the time, but plenty of reason to use Dartford bridge / tunnels. A former colleague of mine used to commute every day from Telford to Coventry and said that although using the toll road would have made his journey quicker, it would have cost him about £200 per month - about 10% of his take home pay at the time.

(I accept this is a generalisation and specific people's circumstances may differ!).

Not quicker, really!? It can knock the best part of an hour off the journey, depending on what roadworks are on the M6.

[matelot]

The Government should really bring in road pricing for all roads. That way someone wanting to drive during busy periods will pay more. When you actually think about it the cost of road congestion is horrendous. We've all been stuck in traffic and wasted an hour or so. What's an hour of time worth for an arb firm with three guys stuck in a transit with a chipper behind? It must be worth £50? 

 

Bring in road pricing and see congestion dwindle.

[eggsarascal]

2 hours ago, matelot said:

The Government should really bring in road pricing for all roads. That way someone wanting to drive during busy periods will pay more. When you actually think about it the cost of road congestion is horrendous. We've all been stuck in traffic and wasted an hour or so. What's an hour of time worth for an arb firm with three guys stuck in a transit with a chipper behind? It must be worth £50? 

 

Bring in road pricing and see congestion dwindle.

Eh up, we agree!

 

But, what's the point of building toll roads if they are too expensive for your average person to use. £22/day, there and back, to take a Transit through the M6 toll isn't going to get the punters rushing in imo. And no we can't use public transport to get to and from work.

 

We aren't all seat polishers.