A petition is gathering thousands of signatures following uproar over plans to charge people to drive into Greater London.

A feasibility study is due to start on the idea - which would see Dartford residents charged £3.50 to drive into the neighbouring London Borough of Bexley - with the aim of introducing it in two years' time.

It has been criticised by Dartford MP Gareth Johnson and fellow Dartford Conservatives as being "catastrophic and mad".

The petition, No to Labour’s Dartford Car Tax, was launched five days ago and has now reached more than 19,000 signatures.

There are fears it would mean Dartford residents who live close to the London Borough of Bexley would have to pay the fee just to do their weekly shop, travel into work and visit vulnerable relatives who require care during the pandemic.

Mr Johnson said: "Some roads in Dartford are impossible to exit without going into Bexley (eg Bowmans Road, Coppice Close and Stonehill Woods Park) so are people living in these roads expected to pay every time?"

Conservative London Mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has also condemned current London mayor Sadiq Khan’s proposal, outlining the harm it would cause to families and businesses in both Dartford and London.

Mr Bailey said: "The Mayor should be putting us on the road to recovery.

"Instead, he’s coming up with new taxes to pay for the £9.56 billion of waste he racked up at Transport for London.

"Charging drivers £3.50 a day to enter Greater London is nothing but another car tax.

"It will hit businesses that travel back and forth. It will hit commuters. It will hit people who want to visit family and friends.

"Worst of all, it sends the message that London is closed — right when we need a recovery.”

Mr Bailey has made it clear that he would not keep such charges if he were elected in May.

He said: “If Sadiq Khan goes ahead with his Greater London entry tax, I’ll scrap it on day one as Mayor.”

Dartford MP Mr Johnson raised the issue last week with the Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris, saying any such charge would have a catastrophic and disproportionate impact on places like Dartford.

Many who have signed the petition have shared their concerns if such an idea were implemented and how it would impact on their daily lives.

Phil Power, a 39-year-old from New Town in Dartford, has to travel to Bexley for work.

He said: "I work in Bexley and my mum lives in south Bexleyheath.

"I have worked out that if this entry charge goes ahead it'll cost me more than £1,000 a year just for basic travel.

"We already have to deal with the Dartford Crossing fees. It feels like the people of Kent are being picked on.

"Times are hard enough at the moment because of Covid and furlough. This additional cost won't help at all."

Prospective Conservative Candidate for the Dartford North East division Peter Whapshott said: "It is clear from the local response that the Labour car tax is not welcomed here.

"This would hit the lowest earners the hardest, many who rely on moving between the boundaries every day to visit family and travel to work."

To see or learn more about the petition click here.

A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor has repeatedly urged the government to allow London to retain the £500m of Vehicle Excise Duty paid by Londoners every year but which is currently spent almost exclusively on maintaining roads outside the capital.

"If the government does not agree, other ways of raising money to overcome the unprecedented financial challenges TfL faces as a result of Covid may be needed.

"A Greater London Boundary Charge for non-residents could reduce congestion and emissions whilst encouraging more use of public transport.

"Revenues could also provide funding for investment in London’s transport network. It is proposed that the charge would only apply to vehicles registered outside London which are driven into the capital.

"Subject to the findings of TfL’s feasibility study, already under way, any proposals developed as a result would be subject to a full public consultation where the public – including non-Londoners – would be able to have their say on any potential proposals.”

Every weekday 1.3 million vehicle trips are made from outside London into the capital. Around one million of these trips are into outer London alone and the majority of these journeys are made by vehicles registered to addresses outside of the Greater London boundary, highlighting that drivers from outside London greatly benefit from using the capital’s roads without contributing to their upkeep.

Initial estimates suggest a scheme like the Greater London Boundary Charge for non-residents - if levied at £3.50 a day and applying only to non-Londoners - could reduce London weekday car traffic by around five per cent and raise around £500 million a year.

Some of these funds could be earmarked to support sustainable travel in boundary boroughs and help TfL fund local priorities that it might otherwise not be able to afford, like innovative bus enhancements and new walking and cycling improvements to support a green recovery.

It is said to be part of the Mayor’s work to ensure a green recovery from Covid-19 and raise vital income to sustainably fund London's transport network after the financial shocks of the pandemic.

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