Silvertown Tunnel Will Have Charges

The proposed Silvertown Tunnel by Transport for London (Tfl) which crosses the River Thames near the O2 will in fact be a charged route right from the outset.

The TfL's planning strategy and policy head Lucinda Turner said user charges would be necessary to fund construction and manage traffic.

It will however, be the first road link to have incorporated a free-flow charging system, where payments will be made online or phone after the car is tagged by cameras. This will prevent the scenario of the infamous Dartford Crossing, which sees swaths of cars backed up every day while each motorist pays one by one.

This will change for the Dartford Crossing as well as the Humber Bridge which will see free-flow technology implemented next year. The Tfl are exploring variable charging at the Silvertown/Blackwall to reflect peak times and direction.

The parallel Blackwall Tunnel will also be included in charging because of the sharing of approach roads and proximity.

Campaigners have lashed out against proposals already, saying the Silvertown Tunnel will bring further pollution to an already dangerous air quality.

Andrew Wood of Network for Clean Air said: “The Mayor of London needs to immediately appoint a Commissioner for air quality with a task force to knock heads together; bring forward the start date of the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone, and extend it to at least all the inner London boroughs – including Greenwich and Lewisham – which have harmful and unlawful levels of air pollution.”