Blogger: Alex Cooper, Conservation Officer
Editor’s Note
When thinking about how we impact on the natural world sometimes it is worth taking a step outside our normal everyday life and seeing what else is out there. You will be surprised what some people are up to. Alex’s post looks at that bigger picture in the Thames Estuary.
The government is set to look into the case for a Lower Thames Crossing to relieve congestion on the existing Dartford Crossing.
Anyone who has travelled through the tunnel or across the bridge will have experienced at certain times of the day serious congestion and delays. However, before jumping to the conclusion that another crossing is the solution maybe we should take a step back and think whether there might be simple steps we can take to use the existing infrastructure better.
One idea I have heard about is replacing the tollgates at the bridge with the number plate recognition technology used by the London Congestion Charge, which would improve the flow rate of traffic.
Other options for reducing congestion could include variable charging on the bridge to encourage people to avoid travelling at peak times. Also since freight makes up a significant proportion of the traffic it may be possible to Increase freight capacity on the channel tunnel to relieve some of the pressure on the tunnel and bridge.
Looking back at the history of the Dartford tunnel it seems that demand to use the tunnel has continually outstripped the ability to supply the necessary space for vehicles. The first Dartford tunnel was built in 1963, but within a year it was being used by over 4 million vehicles a year, which was double the number predicted. It was soon decided that another tunnel was needed and this opened in 1980 and this was followed by the bridge. This suggests that building a new tunnel or bridge will only temporarily reduce congestion and will actually generate additional traffic and so is ultimately not a sustainable solution to transport problems.
I think the government needs to consider a more balanced strategy for transport which focuses on reducing demand to travel. This could be through a National Congestion Charging system which charges people per mile and charges higher rates at peak times. Otherwise we might simply end up in the same situation in another 20 years.
Interested in what we at the RSPB are doing in this neck of the woods then come and visit some of our nearby nature reserves in South Essex or North Kent.