Representation by Joseph Patrick Finnegan
- Date submitted
- 15 February 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I have two key points in relation to developing a new Lower Thames Crossing. 1. I live at Greenhithe, two miles from the Dartford Crossing, but I am regularly affected by the knock-on impact of problems at the tunnels simply as a local resident, not actually using the crossing on most occasions. The A206 which links to the crossing at Junction 1a comes through Greenhithe and is used constantly by traffic seeking to cross the river but trying to avoid queues on the M25. This affects not just the road from the A2 past Bluewater but also the ‘local’ A226 London Road both east and west through Greenhithe as tunnel traffic heads for both the A206 and Cotton Lane on the edge of Dartford, to reach Junction 1a. Additionally Junction 1b at Dartford offers another opportunity for tunnel traffic to use the local roads to try to jump any motorway queues. When there are problems at the Dartford Tunnels, including just heavy usage, the whole area surrounding Greenhithe and Dartford can become impassable for local residents. This experience reinforces • that there is undoubtedly a need for further capacity crossing the Thames, and • that any new capacity needs to be created away from the existing bottlenecks at Dartford. 2. Any charging associated with a new crossing should be fully integrated with the existing Dartford scheme so that crossing charge account holders can use the alternative crossing without incurring additional administrative burdens, in the event of a problem at either crossing.