Representation by Gareth Johnson MP (Gareth Johnson MP )
- Date submitted
- 22 February 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am fully supportive of the Lower Thames Crossing. As the MP for Dartford, the single biggest issue in the town is the problematic traffic caused by the Dartford Crossing. Every time there is a traffic problem at the Dartford Crossing there are traffic problems in town. Building an additional crossing, well away from Dartford – The Lower Thames Crossing – is the only viable solution. Motorists in Dartford suffer from the misery of the Dartford Crossing daily. People can't get to work, to school and to their hospital appointments when traffic problems at the Dartford Crossing affect the town. Since I became MP in 2010, plans for an additional Thames Crossing have been in the pipeline. I campaigned to ensure this new crossing was well away from Dartford, as building more capacity at Dartford would not give motorists any alternative option and would add to the bottleneck. The Dartford Crossing was designed to carry 135,000 journeys – on its busiest days this rises to up 180,000 vehicles. The only solution is additional road capacity away from Dartford. The Lower Thames Crossing will double the road capacity. Now 70% of all freight from the Port of Dover uses the Dartford Crossing, The Lower Thames Crossing will mean much of the traffic travelling to and from the port will be able to avoid Dartford altogether and have a quicker journey. The Lower Thames Crossing will mean that people in Dartford can organise their time without having to factor delays in at the crossing. According to statistics from National Highways, almost every weekday 95% of motorists travelling northbound face delays during the evening peak. For two thirds of people, their journey can take twice as long. In Dartford there is huge support for this project, and I regularly hear from people who are frustrated and upset because their lives have been disrupted by yet another incident at the Dartford Crossing. The protest by two Just Stop Oil activists, which shut the Queen Elizabeth Bridge for 36 hours causing miles of queues and delays, is a key example of how one incident can bring the traffic to a grinding halt, leading to disruption not just for local people but for people travelling around the UK. Our area is growing rapidly, and the Dartford Crossing is one of the key things holding financial growth back. The new Lower Thames Crossing will allow growth and open the area to new economic opportunities. Moving traffic away from Dartford will also help to reduce air pollution as the cars snarled up at the Dartford Crossing, with engines idling, is one of the main reasons our town has one of the worst air pollution problems in the country. The LTC cannot come soon enough for Dartford and is overwhelmingly supported. It will reduce traffic and therefore reduce the chances of delays. I want to see this road built as soon as possible so that people can go about their daily lives without living in the constant shadow of problems from the Dartford Crossing.