Petition over Dart Charge time

A petition to increase the time drivers have to pay the Dart Charge has been set up.

There is currently a day to pay the fee to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex or face a hefty fine.

Car drivers must pay £2.50, while those in vans, lorries or buses have to fork out £3 or £6.

If no payment is made within 24 hours a fine of £70 is imposed, which is halved if paid within 14 days or increased to £108 if not paid within 28 days.

Krzysztof Gorak says that ini- tial window isn’t long enough and is now campaigning to have it increased to 72 hours.

Writing on the government’s petition site he said: “The time allowed to pay for the crossing is too short, it has been set up this way to rip off the drivers by issuing fines for late payments. The time to pay the charge should be extended to a minimum 72 hours.”

More than £50 million in fines has been generated since toll booths were removed in 2014.

Proceeds are passed to the government and ring-fenced for transport projects.

Highways England spokesman Howard Rhoades said:

“More than 95% of drivers pay their Dart Charge on time, comparing well to any other similar scheme worldwide.

“It is only fair to these drivers non-payment is enforced, and we try to do this fairly.”

Mr Gorak’s petition runs until September at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214591. Parliament will respond if it reaches 10,000 signatures.