Dartford’s traffic chaos sparks demands for a second River Thames crossing
You know how it is—everyone’s heard of Dartford Crossing, right? It’s that big bridge connecting the M25 to Essex and Kent. Well, it’s getting a bit crowded. National Highways says around 150,000 vehicles use it daily, which is way more than it was designed for.
So, local campaigners and National Highways are pushing for a new crossing, the Lower Thames Crossing, to help ease the mess. This project has been in the works since 2009, but it keeps getting delayed. The latest news is that the government won’t decide on it until May 2025.
Some people are really excited about the new tunnel, while others are worried about the environmental impact and costs. Dartford’s MP, Jim Dickson, is all for it, saying it’ll help with the traffic nightmare and even create jobs.
Traffic jams at Dartford are nothing new. Just last month, a lorry fire caused huge delays. It’s a real mess, especially since Dartford handles over 50 million vehicles a year, with a lot of them being goods vehicles.
And get this—some drivers have been wrongly charged for using the crossing. One woman got charged 34 times for crossings she never made! It’s been a wild ride, to say the least.
People like Dennis, a local hairdresser, are really hoping for the new crossing. He says it would make his daily commute so much easier. But there’s still a long wait ahead for a final decision on this project.
In the meantime, other crossings in London are making headlines too, like the new Silvertown Tunnel opening soon. It looks like the traffic situation in and around London is going to be a hot topic for a while.
