A letter is winging its way to Prime Minister Theresa May as part of the ongoing battle to tackle Dartford’s traffic nightmare.

The letter from Dartford council, which will also go to transport secretary Chris Grayling, comes after the government’s response to a public petition calling for a full inquiry into the performance of the Dartford Crossing.

Earlier this month the Department for Transport (DfT) said congestion in the town had been improved by the removal of the toll booths at the crossing, an assessment described by council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) as “a load of nonsense”.

Speaking during an impassioned plea for more to be done to help Dartford at a council cabinet meeting last Thursday night, Cllr Kite said the needs of the community were “at a critical point”.

“We as a council have to persuade the government, DfT and Highways England (HE) to make a rapid decision on the construction of a new crossing east of Gravesend,” he said.

“The needs of this community are critical now and I want to reassure the residents of Dartford that we are doing everything possible to press this case.

“We have had every kind of meeting imaginable to press the case for an urgent solution, up to and including closing the junctions.

“We are having to consider the possibility of telling the government that we would rather have those junctions closed than continually affecting our east-west relationship between the two parts of the borough. It separates residents from the hospital, children from their schools, and businesses from their customers.

“People say they won’t enrol their kids in classes because they’re not sure they can get there after school, they won’t shop locally because they’re not sure that the journey’s going to be worthwhile, businesses are seriously talking about relocating away from Dartford. If that’s how serious it is for a business that’s already here, imagine what it’s like for businesses considering moving here.

“It’s such a tragedy because our town has so much going for it. We are in such a good position in terms of our growth and in terms of our position. It could be a fantastic and wonderful, vibrant town — as I believe it is when the M25 is running correctly — but on those occasions when it’s not we absolutely become debilitated and it has to stop.”

In addition to the letter to Downing Street, cabinet members also backed Cllr Kite’s call for the council to have a seat at the table with HE to consider operational matters regarding the tunnel.

He called on similar invitations to be extended to MP Gareth Johnson and a DfT representative, so that they can understand the impact of the gridlock on the town, and for more immediate solutions to be implemented before the arrival of a new crossing, which is not expected to be built until 2026 at the earliest.

"The lives and the livelihoods of our residents in Dartford are now being placed at risk and jeopardy" Cllr Jeremy Kite

Cllr Kite continued: “It’s telling that this week is the 25th anniversary of the Dartford bridge. The first tunnel opened in 1963, the second tunnel opened in 1980, and then the bridge in 1991.

“It’s been 25 years with no other provision and quite frankly we’ve now got to the point where the crossing is way over capacity, it’s reached what I would consider to be a critical point in terms of its capacity.

“We are looking at a 10 or 12 year delay for a new crossing to be available. That does beg the question why a new crossing wasn’t commissioned 10 or 12 years ago. We simply cannot wait another 10 years for a crossing.”

MP Mr Johnson echoed Cllr Kite’s sentiments when he spoke last week ahead of the bridge’s 25th anniversary. He said: “The building of the bridge helped deal with the congestion at the tunnels at the time and it’s a travesty that nothing was done after the build to prepare for future traffic problems. This is why we are today playing catch-up when we should be opening a new crossing.”

Among the potential solutions mooted to help deal with the congestion were bigger fines for over-height lorries attempting to use the tunnels, and for 1% of the crossing’s Dart Charge revenue to be spent on a dedicated police force to patrol and monitor busy junctions on the approach.

Earlier this year, Dartford Labour deputy leader Cllr Daisy Page launched a petition calling for a change in the law to allow for the enforcement of yellow box junctions on the A206 approach, junction 1A and 1B of the M25, via local authority powers. At the moment such enforcement is only permitted within London.

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Dartford Labour insist council and MP have not done enough to tackle problem

Dartford Labour leader Cllr Jonathon Hawkes and council leader Cllr Kite are usually at odds, but both agree that local people deserve answers to the town’s traffic problems.

However, Cllr Hawkes said that Cllr Kite, cabinet member for transport Cllr Keith Kelly (Con), and MP Gareth Johnson should all be doing more to work towards effective solutions.

“Residents have a right to expect more information, greater transparency and accountability from their elected representatives,” said Cllr Hawkes.

“Labour has repeatedly called for work to start on a new traffic and transport plan, but nothing is being taken forward by the council or the MP.

“There is no excuse for not being able to answer these questions – but if you talk to residents, motoring organisations, business owners – it becomes very clear that these are not being answered in their minds.”

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Dartford councillors are also united in their desire to see a new Thames crossing built east of Gravesend, rather than another at Dartford. The Gravesend crossing — dubbed Option C — is HE’s preferred project and the government is expected to make a decision later this year, despite continued opposition from residents in countryside villages such as Chalk and Shorne.

Responding to their concerns, Cllr Kite said: “This is part of an inter-connected transport network. Every resident in Gravesend is contributing to the demand every bit as much as Dartford.

“It’s bigger than that now. The lives and the livelihoods of our residents in Dartford are now being placed at risk and jeopardy.”