Dartford tunnel bike bus.

[Beebo]

View: https://youtu.be/rQsk1r2_jwo?si=DAJsI4OOZfHRuFu8


A bit of cycling history. Unsurprisingly it was phased out through under use.

And for anyone who is interested, below is the current cycle provision. Not quite as impressive.


https://www.gov.uk/dartford-crossing-bike

 

[ianrauk]

Apparently one if those buses is being renovated.

I've used the free bike crossing many times. These days it's either in a van or on the back of a pick up. No where near as good as that bus.

 

[Cycleops]

....and nowhere near as expensive.

 

[Beebo]

....and nowhere near as expensive.

They had 5 custom buses. 4 of them running at any one time with a bus leaving every 6 minutes!
Even the most cycle friendly of councils would know that’s far too many.

 

[ianrauk]

The thing is they keep cutting the service. It used to be on demand. Either end, you used the phone to call the control and a few minutes later dependent on the traffic your lift would turn up.
A few years back they changed it to only operating certain times of the day which was a right pain.

It can be very busy at times with a lot of people working at the nearby huge Lakeside shopping centre using it.
It's not unusual to find a queue waiting to cross.

 

[Sharky]

Very interesting. I've never taken a bike through the tunnel. I was commuting daily through the tunnel from about 1975, to Brentwood. If it been around then, I may have tried it. There was only one tunnel in those days and the original promise was that when the tolls had covered the building costs, it would be free! Now we have two tunnels and a bridge and still traffic jams and still paying! I'm fortunate that I am eligible for the local discount scheme and costs me just £10 pa for 50 crossings.

 

[Emanresu]

Not exactly a bucket list item but might make a good circular trip.

Start at Barking Riverside Station then over to the south side to Woolwich. Then NS1 to Dartford. Then back through the tunnel to Purfleet (old haunt of mine) and back to Barking. About 45 miles it seems.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've never used the Dartford pick-up service. I really ought to, just for the experience, if nothing else. For getting to Essex I'm an occasional user of the Gravesend-Tilbury ferry, which is not far to the east of Dartford.

 

[grldtnr]

Reviving this, old thread. What with the current closure of the Gravesend/Tilbury ferry, which by statutory right, has to continue to be run, even if it's once a year, this must put added use to the Dartford crossing, I've not used it much, but regularly used to be Tilbury ferry.
Occasionally I'd go to the Dartford, but my serious use of either crossing had stopped years ago, but well remember the 'Taxi' service crossing the tunnel to Dartford.
I had hoped to cross with the ferry before it closed ,but it never was an attractive route for me, the busy industrial route to Tilbury, and the congested hilly routes on the Kentish side, having to use the Dartford crossing puts an extra 15 miles on an already dystopian route.
I do hope that the ferry will be reinstated , it's a vital route for some, when British Rail run the service it was well used, but a lack of trains to Tilbury Riverside,has surely put the kybosh on this route.
Incidentally, the terminus is ,I believe of listed status, the rail station was built to serve the Cruise ships ,and occasional shipping services to exotic destinations, I dread to think the condition of the building now.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Reviving this, old thread. What with the current closure of the Gravesend/Tilbury ferry, which by statutory right, has to continue to be run, even if it's once a year, this must put added use to the Dartford crossing, I've not used it much, but regularly used to be Tilbury ferry.
Occasionally I'd go to the Dartford, but my serious use of either crossing had stopped years ago, but well remember the 'Taxi' service crossing the tunnel to Dartford.
I had hoped to cross with the ferry before it closed ,but it never was an attractive route for me, the busy industrial route to Tilbury, and the congested hilly routes on the Kentish side, having to use the Dartford crossing puts an extra 15 miles on an already dystopian route.
I do hope that the ferry will be reinstated , it's a vital route for some, when British Rail run the service it was well used, but a lack of trains to Tilbury Riverside,has surely put the kybosh on this route.
Incidentally, the terminus is ,I believe of listed status, the rail station was built to serve the Cruise ships ,and occasional shipping services to exotic destinations, I dread to think the condition of the building now.

That brings back memories from around 60 years back.

I used to live on the top floor of an old flat in Pier Road, Gravesend and remember as a small boy watching the ferry shuttle back and forth.

Last time I used the ferry was when I was aged 14/15 in '70/'71 when I went over to Grays to buy an 'in fashion' Crombie.

Those were the days...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Be difficult riding my bike up those steps into bus.

 

[Dogtrousers]

There will be a similar (well sort of similar) shuttle bus through the Silvertown Tunnel when it opens next year

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tra...ike-bus-tfl-sadiq-khan-cyclists-b1185431.html