Last Wednesday, Mrs. BTB returned from Finland by car. "Oh, by the way, I went through the Dartford Crossing," she told me today. You will be fined if you do not pay within 24 hours, in case anyone was wondering.
A feature in Mercedes Me named "Geofencing" subsequently came to mind. You have the option to set the radius of the circular zones you want to be alerted when your vehicle enters or leaves the area. I completed the task by drawing a zone around the Dartford Crossing and setting it to alert on entry. I hope that this is the last time you have to deal with a surprise fine!
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2026
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2026
Then I discovered that each zone can be turned on or off separately for each vehicle on Mercedes Me, which is something we do. Ours are now both programd to sound an alarm if they go into that specific zone 
This might be useful for ULEZs and similar procedures that you may have to pay for from time to time.
This might be useful for ULEZs and similar procedures that you may have to pay for from time to time.
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2026
People like you are the reason why other people's business models fail.
There will be a fixed amount for those who pay their tolls, congestion fees, or whatever on time, and ten or twenty times more for those who don't.
That being said, everyone should have plenty of time to forget to pay; therefore, please be courteous.
There will be a fixed amount for those who pay their tolls, congestion fees, or whatever on time, and ten or twenty times more for those who don't.
That being said, everyone should have plenty of time to forget to pay; therefore, please be courteous.
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2026
In addition to the £3.50 crossing fee, the minimum fine for Dartford is £35 indeed. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to prove that my German father-in-law had actually received the original penalty charge notice, so they decided to waive the fine. They tracked him down to his home address near Stuttgart.
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2026
It has always irritated me that the tolls continue—and even increase!—after witnessing the original tunnels being constructed with the assurance that they would be removed once the cost had been recouped. I did, however, set up an autopay account for both of our cars years ago, even though we hardly ever use the crossing. The amount deducted from my credit card has increased from £10 to £15 when the balance drops below £15, and I believe the interest rate is lower for autopay compared to one-time payments. They have never issued a fine to me!
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2026
There is a similar predicament 'up north' with the Tyne Tunnel. The original plan was to eliminate tolls once the tunnel had recouped its construction costs. For vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, the one-way fare is currently £2.60, or £2.34 with a prepaid account linked to your registration number, like mine. Payment is due within 24 hours, just like their system. Thanks goodness I do most of my work from home and rarely have to commute to the office; otherwise, I would be stuck dealing with this every day.