Shouldn’t There Be An App For Congestion Charges & Tolls?

Friday, 27. February 2015

There should be an App for that! How many times have you seen something or done something that is a complete pain in the jacksy thinking – there should be an app for that on my phone. It would make life so much easier. I thought this at the end of last year when the new Dartford Crossing charge system was introduced.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

I agreed that introducing some other form of payment that no longer required the use of payment booths would speed up the flow of traffic, having spent what seemed like days in Dartford crossing tailbacks, but I have to say panic sets in when suddenly you are required to make the trip and know that you need to prepay the fee, pay within a day or be fined.

The same applies to congestion charges, you are happily following your sat nav directions, that incidentally doesn’t give you an option to avoid congestion charge zones, and suddenly you realise that you are ‘in the zone’ and you haven’t paid! Good Lord, time for a heart attack. To make life easier fleets are calling for a new scheme that is controlled by the DVLA as they hold all of the required information on cars and their keepers necessary to centralise a payments system.

They suggest that if drivers enter into the London congestion charge zone, and it’s only a matter of time before other towns and cities introduce this cash cow into their own central areas, or they have a toll to pay, that it is controlled centrally, thereby reducing time and admin on both sides.

Around 100,000 to 120,000 Dartford crossings are made every day with between 15,000 and 18,000 charges remaining unpaid. This costs the Highways Agency about £40,000 per day which equates to £3 million since the scheme started last November. Now whilst it’s not my nature to sob into my cup-a-soup over the losses sustained by the Highways Agency it made me think that there should be an app for that.

Set up all your details including credit card details in your phone and when you need to pay a toll or enter a congestion zone tap the app, tap the charge, eg. London Congestion Zone or Birmingham M6 Toll and Bob’s your cross dressing aunty – job done! I appreciate that you can set up an account for the congestion zone or the crossing but you are not in control.

Could you remember if you crossed the Thames at Dartford on the 15th January? But with an App it could also send confirmation to your email address. I know I’m bloody brilliant! You would think in this day and age when we get Internet access via our car radio and even our watch, that it wouldn’t be a massive step to create an app that we actually need! By Graham Hill

Change To Information On Motorway Signs

Friday, 4. November 2011

As in India, China's economic surge has result...

Image via Wikipedia

Now here’s something interesting. I’m sure you’ve seen the signs on the motorway that shows a junction and an idea of the time it will take you to get there, something like ‘You will reach the A3 in 15 miles, 13 minutes’. Not quite sure of the purpose unless you take it as a bit of a challenge and see if you can reach it in 10 minutes whilst an unmarked police Read more »

Will The Speed Limit On Motorways Increase To 80mph?

Saturday, 29. October 2011

I just love the way that the press looks at a fact and pretty much turns it into fiction in an effort to make a headline. Lets take all the talk recently about raising the speed limit to 80mph from 70mph. Whilst 79% of company car drivers are in favour of the increase we hear all the arguments from the do-gooders that spout on about increase in accidents, Read more »

New On The Spot Fines To Be Introduced

Friday, 3. June 2011

Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP - Secretary of State ...

Image by Amplified2010 via Flickr

Police are to be given the power to issue on the spot fines for dangerous and reckless driving under plans revealed by Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond. This isn’t quite what it seems as it creates visions of the old bill stopping you for doing something silly, issuing you with a ticket and be expecting you to part with readies. The idea, expressed by Read more »

Speed Limits To Be Reviewed

Tuesday, 22. March 2011

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08:  Conservative MP...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you were a visitor to this country driving on our motorways you could be excused for believing that the limit was 80 miles per hour and not, as I believe it is, 70 miles per hour. It seems that Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond supports the idea of lifting the speed limit as our limit is one of the slowest in Europe. However the anti car brigade are Read more »

Where Are People Most Dependent on Their Cars

Wednesday, 6. October 2010

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08:  Conservative MP...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond revealed in a speech that 84% of all journeys made in the UK were made by car. This means that there is little prospect that we will move away from cars and onto public transport in the near future. However, the Campaign for Better Transport has carried out a survey, in which they found that certain towns and cities were more dependent on cars than others. The worst offenders and those most car-dependent were: Read more »

Government To Spend Money On Street Lighting

Saturday, 20. February 2010

The Government is finally starting to realise the importance of street lighting in fighting crime. The Transport minister, Sadiq Khan (Who? I thought it was Lord Adonis, oh no he’s Secretary of State for Transport, so who is Paul Clarke, ah he’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, hang on that’s the same title that Chris Mole goes by – confused? No wonder they seem to get sod all done) has just announced Read more »

New At Work Parking Levy To Be Trialed

Friday, 28. November 2008

Do you live and work in Nottingham? If you do you will no doubt be delighted that they will soon be introducing an at work parking levy on any companies that have more than 10 parking spaces. The proposed scheme puts them at odds with London, Manchester and Cambridge who favour congestion charges as a much fairer way of charging. According to Read more »