Editing Dartford Crossing (section)

==Traffic==
{{As of|2015|3|31|post=,}} a total of 1,537,084,159 journeys had been made. The highest recorded daily usage was 181,990 on 23 July 2004; since then traffic levels have decreased.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dartford-Thurrock river crossing: traffic flow |website=GOV.UK |language=en |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dartford-thurrock-river-crossing-traffic-flow |access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref> The total income for the financial year ended 31 March 2012 was £72,147,091, while the corresponding figure for the following financial year was £80,331,662.{{sfn|HA|2014|p=6}} A 2016 report by Highways England suggested the crossing is used around 50 million times a year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lower Thames Crossing – About |publisher=Lower Thames Crossing (official website) |url=http://www.lower-thames-crossing.co.uk/about/ |access-date=7 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108211700/http://www.lower-thames-crossing.co.uk/about/ |archive-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>

===Bus===
There is currently one bus service that uses the crossing, the X80 operated by [[Ensignbus]] which runs between [[Lakeside Shopping Centre]] and [[Bluewater (shopping centre)|Bluewater]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Marius |first=Callum |date=12 March 2022 |title=The only bus route to use the Dartford Crossing with spectacular views of London |website=MyLondon |language=en |url=https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/travel/only-bus-route-use-dartford-23366503 |access-date=21 March 2022}}</ref>

===Cycling===
Bicycles are not permitted on the crossing, but cyclists can be carried across the crossing by the transport authority. Section 27 of the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 requires that this service be provided free of charge. Cyclists report to the crossing control offices on either side, using a free telephone service. The transfer takes around 15 to 30 minutes.<ref name="ha_top">{{cite web |title=Improving our network: The Dartford – Thurrock River Crossing |publisher=Highways Agency |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managing-our-roads/improving-our-network/the-dartford-thurrock-river-crossing/ |access-date=4 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013163148/http://www.highways.gov.uk/our-road-network/managing-our-roads/improving-our-network/the-dartford-thurrock-river-crossing |archive-date=13 October 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Dartford Tunnel bus.jpg|thumb|A bus designed to transport bicycles through the Dartford Tunnel in 1963]]
In October 1963, the Dartford Tunnel Joint Committee ordered five [[double-decker bus|double-decker]] buses based on the Ford [[Thames Trader]] chassis for special duties, taking cyclists through the Dartford Tunnel. These had a lower deck purpose-built for carrying bicycles, with upper deck seats for cyclists. Access was via a stairwell to the upper deck starting several feet above the level of the road, accessible from special platforms built at either end of the tunnel; there was also a ladder built into the side of the bodywork for access elsewhere. The design was criticised for failing to protect any passenger from falling off the vehicle, and running costs were estimated at £2,550 per month, with only £45 revenue. The joint committee contracted London Transport to operate the buses on their behalf. The service was reduced to one bus in April 1964 and then cancelled in 1965, to be replaced by the current transfer service using a vehicle with a rear cycle rack.<ref>{{cite web |title=The ill-fated cycle bus |last=Heather |first=Chris |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom) |The National Archives]] |date=21 November 2013 |url=http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/ill-fated-cycle-bus/ |access-date=5 July 2014}}</ref> One of these buses has been preserved.<ref name="Thames Trader - Country Bus">{{cite web |title=Thames Trader – Country Bus |work=Country Bus |url=http://www.countrybus.org/TT/TT.htm |access-date=29 October 2011}}</ref>

===Hazardous loads===
The transport of hazardous goods through the crossing is governed by the European [[European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road|ADR Agreement]]. The Dartford Crossing is class C, which restricts transporting goods such as nitrates and flammable liquids.<ref>{{cite web |title=ADR Tunnel Codes explained |publisher=Road Haulers' Association |url=http://intranet.rha.uk.net/docs/internet/hazardousgoods/ADR%20Tunnel%20Guide%2009.pdf |access-date=11 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712233135/http://intranet.rha.uk.net/docs/internet/hazardousgoods/ADR |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |title=ADR Classifications: Part 2 |publisher=United Nations |page=103 |url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/publi/adr/adr2011/English/Part2.pdf |access-date=11 July 2014}}</ref> The introduction of the ADR scheme initially caused confusion, and for a short time, transporting aerosols through the tunnel was banned.<ref name="commercial motor">{{cite journal |title=Tunnel troubles: hauliers get to grips with ADR codes |last=Walton |first=Christopher |journal=Commercial Motor |date=3 August 2010 |url=http://www.commercialmotor.com/latest-news/tunnel-troubles-hauliers-get-to-grips-with-adr-codes |access-date=5 July 2014}}</ref> Certain hazardous goods vehicles, together with some oversize and abnormal loads (if permitted), may require escorting by [[National Highways traffic officer]]s. The crossing authority must hold exercises in conjunction with the [[emergency service]]s. In 2006 Exercise Orpheus was held, involving the closure of both road tunnels for five hours.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunnels shut for safety exercise |work=BBC News |date=10 June 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/5065636.stm |access-date=7 July 2014}}</ref>

===Safety patrol===
The tunnel is patrolled by [[National Highways traffic officer]]s. Officers may stop and direct traffic on the crossing and its approach roads, and must be in uniform to exercise their powers.<ref name="S28">{{cite web |title=Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 (section 28) |publisher=Ministry of Transport |work=National Archives |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/20/section/28 |access-date=7 July 2014}}</ref> The crossing's speed limit is enforced by [[speed camera]]s; between October 2012 and June 2014, 24,229 drivers were caught speeding, with some travelling as fast as {{convert|94|mph|km/h}}. A spokesman for Highways England said the cameras were "helping us improve safety and make journeys more reliable".<ref>{{cite news |title=Thousands caught speeding on Dartford Crossing |work=BBC News |date=7 June 2014 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27746483 |access-date=4 July 2014}}</ref> The bridge also has a reduced speed limit of {{convert|30|mph|km/h}} when [[crosswind]] is above {{convert|50|mph|km/h}} or headwind above {{convert|60|mph|km/h}}, and is closed entirely if Britain's national weather service, the [[Met Office]], predicts crosswind above {{convert|60|mph}} or headwind above {{convert|70|mph}}.<ref name=limits/>

===Congestion===
The crossing is the busiest in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of around 160,000 vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2018 |title=Dartford Crossing |website=Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) |language=en |url=https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/what-do-civil-engineers-do/dartford-crossing |access-date=8 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing toll charges to rise |last=Woodman |first=Peter |work=The Independent |date=22 May 2012 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dartfordthurrock-river-crossing-toll-charges-to-rise-7778496.html |access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dartford Crossing celebrates golden milestone |work=Sevenoaks Chronicle |date=18 November 2013 |url=http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Dartford-Crossing-celebrates-golden-milestone/story-20094476-detail/story.html |access-date=13 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714221443/http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Dartford-Crossing-celebrates-golden-milestone/story-20094476-detail/story.html |archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> The crossing has high levels of congestion, especially at peak times - with high levels of air pollution impacting neighbouring [[Thurrock]] and [[Dartford]].<ref>{{cite news |date=6 March 2017 |title=Dartford Crossing excluded from pollution assessments |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-39152942 |access-date=8 April 2021}}</ref>

Because the design capacity has been exceeded, the crossing is subject to major traffic congestion and disruption, particularly when parts are closed because of accidents or bad weather. Though the government was adamant that the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge should be designed to avoid closure due to high winds,<ref>{{cite web |title=Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Bill |work=[[Hansard |Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |last=Couchman |first=James |date=9 July 1987 |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1987/jul/09/dartford-thurrock-crossing-bill |access-date=6 July 2014}}</ref> the bridge has nevertheless had to close on occasions. On 12 February 2014, during the [[Winter storms of 2013–14 in the United Kingdom|winter storms]], it was closed owing to {{convert|60|mph|km/h|adj=on}} winds,<ref>{{cite news |title=QE2 Bridge at Dartford Crossing reopens after closure |work=BBC News |date=12 February 2014 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26159208 |access-date=6 July 2014}}</ref> and again on the evening of 13–14 February 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=30mph speed restriction on QEII bridge at Dartford crossing |work=Kent Echo |date=14 February 2014 |url=http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/basildon/11012099.Drivers_warned_of_QE2_Bridge_closure_this_evening/?ref=rss |access-date=6 July 2014}}</ref>

At busy times there was significant delay at the payment booths when these existed. Because there are numerous junctions on either side of the crossing, a high proportion of local traffic mixes with long-distance traffic, for example travelling from the North and Midlands onward to Continental Europe.{{sfn|Champion|1995|pp=91–92}} In 2004, a BBC survey reported that the crossing was "the most stressful section of the M25"<ref>{{cite news |title=Most stress at Dartford crossing |work=BBC News |date=8 March 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3541515.stm |access-date=6 July 2014}}</ref> while in 2009, the crossing was listed in a [[Royal Automobile Club]] report as the fourth most congested road in Britain.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dartford's crossing misery is official! |work=Kent Messenger |date=27 April 2009 |url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/dartfords-crossing-misery-is-of-a98426/ |access-date=7 July 2014}}</ref> Though Highways England have reported greatly improved journey times since automatic charging was introduced, former local MP [[Gareth Johnson]] claims otherwise and has insisted that the Lower Thames Crossing, along with improved signing around Dartford, are better options to reduce congestion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kent talks over Dartford crossing 'worst motorway' |work=BBC News |date=30 September 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34398780 |access-date=8 August 2016}}</ref> In 2015, he said the crossing was Britain's worst stretch of motorway.<ref>{{cite news |title=Better signage call for Dartford crossing, MP says |work=BBC News |date=3 October 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34424478 |access-date=5 October 2015}}</ref>