Something struck me as wrong about this article:
Last month, transport minister Steve Ladyman said the tolls [at the Dartford River Crossing] must stay to ensure safety. “One of the purposes of tolling is that cars are effectively metered as they cross the bridge so it does not exceed its design capacity – it’s a safety thing and that’s perfectly legal,” he said.
Sounds plausible at first sight, until you consider that the toll gates on the southbound bridge (as opposed to the northbound tunnel) are at the southern end of the bridge, so do not have any impact on the number of vehicles entering the bridge span. Many times I have been using the Crossing on my way home during rush hour and have been caught in queuing traffic on the bridge itself, the queue caused by vehicles waiting to access the toll booths. Does this mean that, next time I’m stationary on the central span, I should start worrying about whether the bridge is going to collapse? Or is the minister trying to wriggle his way out with a rather lame argument?
Why, Mr Graybo, that’s a terribly cynical thing to think about a member of our government. Or it would be if it wasn’t for the fact that it is ivariably true and ranks on an equal par with about every other announcement a minister makes.