A London Tory MP on Friday launched a campaign against Sadiq Khan’s intention to impose a toll on the Blackwall tunnel.
Louie French said the toll – which is due to be introduced in 2025 – was “yet another attack on drivers” by the mayor after the £12.50-a-day Ulez clean air zone was widened to the Greater London boundary at the end of August.
Transport for London is due to decide in autumn next year at what level to set the toll, which will also be imposed on the nearby Silvertown tunnel.
Images of draft TfL roads signs that were published in Government documents last month suggested car drivers could be charged up to £4 for each trip through the tunnels, with larger vehicles paying up to £8.50.
At present, the twin-bore Blackwall tunnels – which link the A2 and A12 - are used by about 100,000 vehicles a day, with drivers not having to pay a toll.
Mr French, the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, has launched a petition urging Mr Khan to abandon the proposed toll.
He said: “There are many vehicle crossings in central and west London that are currently free to cross and not tolled, but Sadiq Khan now wants to charge people for one of the few crossings between east and south east London, despite originally being built over 125 years ago.”
The tolls are required to cover the £1.2bn cost of the Silvertown tunnel, which is being built under a PFI scheme that was set in train during Boris Johnson’s mayoralty and approved by the Tory government in 2018.
Freddie Downing, a Tory London Assembly candidate, said the original plans to impose tolls pre-dated the Londonwide Ulez.
“Circumstances have changed and we can’t stick rigidly to plans drawn up a decade ago,” he said. “As most drivers will be making a return journey, this would mean them paying between £8 and £17 each day.”
Eco campaigners have called for the Silvertown tunnel to be converted into a car-free tunnel – enabling it to be used by cyclists, pedestrians and buses – and for the proposed toll on Blackwall tunnel to be ditched.
TfL has begun monitoring traffic levels and air quality around Blackwall and Silvertown. It needs to set the tolls at a level that is expensive enough to discourage extra traffic – but at which drivers are willing to pay, to ensure funds are generated to repay the Silvertown PFI contract over the next 25 years.
David Rowe, TfL’s interim director of investment delivery planning, said: “We are continuing very extensive air quality and traffic monitoring right across the area.
“It not only ensures we are meeting our obligations during construction but is vital in enabling us to set the user charges closer to the time of tunnel opening.
“We are now undertaking the modelling to inform what those charges should be, and the hours of operation. It’s a vital part of the scheme.
“When we went through the consent order process [for Silvertown], we signed up to a legal obligation that we would at least achieve the environmental benefits forecast in our environmental assessment. We are committed to that.”
A Transport for London spokesperson said: “The Silvertown tunnel, once open, will support growth in the local area, provide new public transport connections across the river via zero-emission bus routes and address the chronic issues Londoners face at the Blackwall tunnel.
“We remain committed to delivering this project with minimal impact to those living, working and visiting the local area and the project remains on target to be completed in 2025.
“As has been publicised for many years, once the Silvertown Tunnel opens, drivers must pay a user charge for using either the Blackwall or the Silvertown tunnel. This was proposed in 2012 and agreed with government ministers following a public examination of the proposals between October 2016 and April 2017.
“The exact charge levels for various types of vehicles using the new tunnel will be decided closer to the opening date. This user charge will pay for building and maintaining the tunnel - but its main purpose is to help us manage traffic levels. Any surplus revenue will be reinvested in London’s transport network.”
