by Laura Hartmann

Public transport is key to solving the logjams of traffic at the Dartford Crossing.

That is the view of Dartford council's leader Jeremy Kite as it was revealed the area is the fourth worst in the country for congestion.

He was not surprised and dubbed the treatment of current toll users as "pretty horrific".

Cllr Kite also criticised the Department for Transport's recent proposals to fight congestion on the Dartford Crossing.

Those options will not offer a fast solution for a problem that needs urgent action, he said.

He added: "Even if they made a decision today about one of these three options, it's probably going to be 10 or 15 years before a bridge or a new construction is built."

Audio: Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite explains how the Fastrack bus service is a solution to our toll woes

However, Cllr Kite emphasised the need for another crossing to ease congestion rates in the area, as "somewhere buried in there is the right solution".

He also called for a greater use of public transport, such as the Fastrack bus service.

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