The Dartford Crossing has been the subject of a lot of debate recently as campaigners think up new ideas to increase its efficiency.

Following news that a logistics firm wanted to send hazardous vehicles away from the crossing, another petition has been started hoping to improve the infamous Crossing.

Campaigners are petitioning to form a dedicated recovery and response unit on the bridge to deal with accidents quicker.

The petition, which currently only has just over 25 signatures, reads: "Every day users of the QE2 bridge/ Dartford crossing have to endure horrendous queues as a result of stranded vehicles blocking the carriageway through breakdown or accident .

"Let's have a dedicated response team to get the lanes open as soon as possible.

"With revenue of 160 million pounds last year surely a response team can be budgeted in to quickly remove stranded vehicles on the run up stretches north and south of the crossing as well as the A282 and move them to a safe place instead of waiting hours for recovery from the drivers own breakdown service or insurer.

"The loss to the economy must run into millions of pounds a year and creates havoc and misery for users and drivers in the surrounding areas."

News Shopper:

The Lower Thames Crossing will ease traffic in Dartford when it is built east of Gravesend

According to Highways England, 300 times a year the crossing is closed for 30 minutes or more due to incidents, with the closest alternative crossing 27 miles away at the Blackwall Tunnel.

News Shopper recently asked for ideas on how to improve the Crossing on a community facebook page.

Commenters said: "Bring back the booths."

Another said: "Build another bridge over the tunnels and keep the tunnels for emergencies only...99.9 per cent of the time the bridge flows, why? Because they don't have to keep stopping to let tankers through."

And another said: "We do need another way of crossing, but not another bridge which will just get shut in high winds and we are back at square one. Put white solid line on the current bridge and stop people changing lanes. I do think the lower Thames crossing will be a good thing but only if the tunnels are 5 or 6 lanes wide in each direction to cope with the levels of cars that will be on the road by the time it is built."

Boss of logistics firm Europa Worldwide, Andrew Baxter, recently started a campaign to send hazardous and heavy goods vehicles the other way around the M25.

His campaign has been backed by more than 2,000 people.

He said: "We’re a transport company and we do operate hazardous goods vehicles ourselves – we have no interest in harming our industry.

“Ultimately though it boils down to what is better for the 99 per cent of motorists using the tunnel and the huge inconvenience they suffer because of the other one per cent.”