Because when you're driving a vehicle you should be observant of any potential hazards, many of which are displayed on road signs.
What's your excuse for speeding tickets? Didn't see the speed limit sign?
Dartford tunnel fine
- Thread starter Skywalker
- Start date
Because when you're driving a vehicle you should be observant of any potential hazards, many of which are displayed on road signs.
What's your excuse for speeding tickets? Didn't see the speed limit sign?
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Reading signs is part of driving.
You don't need to look at the side of the road all the time to read road signs. Reading road signs is an essential part of driving. The matrix signs are so absolutely huge (and generally overhead) that you'd need to be blind to miss them when driving anyway.
They are very clearly obvious - by design. They are generally used to display important and essential information, ie accidents or or queues ahead, major road closures or information about the new Dart scheme
They are very clearly obvious - by design. They are generally used to display important and essential information, ie accidents or or queues ahead, major road closures or information about the new Dart scheme
On that day they probably said 40 mpg to slow traffic to ease the flow as the amount of cars in front of us that day where also puzzled and probably thinking the same as me when I got to the barrier and saw them up with no apparent reason at the barrier
Honestly never saw one mention it, they were all either informing me of accidents/roadworks/spray/fog or telling me not to drive drunk/tired.
Soldato
[TW]Fox;27509076 said:
exactly, almost every over head gantry had the messages on them about dart charge, Even up the M1, the top of the M11, the M20 near dover etc.
its not like you are having to read a book at the side of the road, its a short road sign that in a quick glance you can read. Unless you are painfully slow at reading.
The general look at this thread proves that so many people shouldn't be driving if they cant even read/see a normal road sign.
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Man of Honour
£2.50? It's £1.67 per crossing!
Edit*
Just logged in to check, seems they have registered both of my crossings now and the amount has been taken from my account. I quite like this new system. No more waiting, just drive through and floor it on the exit
Edit*
Just logged in to check, seems they have registered both of my crossings now and the amount has been taken from my account. I quite like this new system. No more waiting, just drive through and floor it on the exit
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Soldato
To be fair, having driven through it north to south twice in two days, the thing is terribly marked. You go at 70 mph all the way to the services junction, where the limit drops to 50, if you have any lorry traffic in lane 1 (and there always is), you don't see any of the temporary boards on the bridge, on the way down speed limit is reduced to 40 mph, you see toll booths down below, but that section is closed/concreted off, with temporary multi lane detour/diversion around the booths arranged with so much furniture, signage and flashing elements that even if there was an info board, you wouldn't see it. Immediately past the diversion, the moment your wheels touch A282, it's 60mph limit, lorries on the left hand side and within 10 yards that's the last time you see low hanging "Dart Charge, find us online" board.
I know the charge is there, I heard about changes on LBC in November, I know when it operates, I have an account, I'm fine, I'm safe. But if I didn't know, I honestly wouldn't know what exactly the setup was. It looked like a free temporary crossing, the boards at 70mph looked like some sort of London Congestion Charge (red signage with C in the middle) was in operation somewhere nearby between 7 and 10 am (continental traffic would expect EU normalised 7:00-22:00 on boards btw). I wouldn't expect any foreigner to have online access and know what to find, how to find it, since no urls are provided anywhere etc. I think they screwed the pooch with the arrangement and signage and to be perfectly honest, I kind of expect the arrangement to be screwed on purpose just to extract even more money.
I know the charge is there, I heard about changes on LBC in November, I know when it operates, I have an account, I'm fine, I'm safe. But if I didn't know, I honestly wouldn't know what exactly the setup was. It looked like a free temporary crossing, the boards at 70mph looked like some sort of London Congestion Charge (red signage with C in the middle) was in operation somewhere nearby between 7 and 10 am (continental traffic would expect EU normalised 7:00-22:00 on boards btw). I wouldn't expect any foreigner to have online access and know what to find, how to find it, since no urls are provided anywhere etc. I think they screwed the pooch with the arrangement and signage and to be perfectly honest, I kind of expect the arrangement to be screwed on purpose just to extract even more money.
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Just an update, I received another one for the return trip lol.
Long story short, I didn't have to pay the second fine due the picture showing me stopping at a barrier that was down and explaining that the barrier was down and the only way to get it to raise was to put in my monies
1st fine also refunded as well so all in all a good result
Long story short, I didn't have to pay the second fine due the picture showing me stopping at a barrier that was down and explaining that the barrier was down and the only way to get it to raise was to put in my monies
1st fine also refunded as well so all in all a good result
Soldato
I used the dartford crossing last sunday afternoon and intended to pay when I got home but forgot. I hadn't received a penalty charge yet but just remembered this morning. *slaps forehead*. The website says £70 or £35 within 28 days. So I rang them up just now and paid £37.50 which means the half price penalty plus the original £2.50 tariff. It's such a bloody scam. When we paid at the crossing, that was it, done and dusted. Now that you have to remember to pay after you've used it, they know people will forget and are probably making a fortune because of it.
Associate
I forgot to pay it last month and got a letter saying that (IIRC) because im not local, if i just pay the £2.50 there will be no fine.... result 
Associate
It might not have said that, im going from memory
Soldato
Should I appeal mine then? Or is it a lost cause now that I've paid?