The M25 & Dartford Toll

The roadworks/ tunnel improvements at J27 - J26 probably don't help as they bunch all the traffic up but i have noticed the last few times i've been to bluewater (we come down M11 to J27 and round to dartford bridge) it has been very busy.

but i hate the M25 at the best of times, someone only has to sneeze and it causes a 10 mile tailback - if i could avoid it i would!!

I've noticed this the last few times I've come down to Kent. I can't work out what it is down to but took me an hour to do 6 miles the last time. OK, it was a Friday but I thought that at 2pm it might have been ok. I hate to think what it would have been like at 'rush hour''.

Also there's road works the other way, so those who have to do near to 1/2 the 25 will be going a different way.

They also seem to have slowed down the Bridge barrier opening times, and stopping people a little longer before your miney is acceoted.

We are in Gravesend, so very close to M25 and bridge. It is awful. The toll rise must be at least part of the cause, last time I crossed the river I didn't know it had gone up and spent ages looking for the extra money.

During the power cuts the other week they just opened the barriers and traffic flowed better than it has in years, apparently. Scrap the toll!!

This was also another debate, whilst we were stuck in traffic. Even by holding cars 3 seconds over an hour it must be delay cars quite a bit.

So I'm not alone in thinking something has changed recently then.

Bridge has paid for itself, so what is the toll fee for?