Angry drivers have hit out at Sadiq Khan over a plan to introduce a toll fee on one of London’s busiest tunnels which serves as a key route for commuters travelling to the centre of the capital from South East England.
Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed motorists will likely start being charged to drive through the Blackwall Tunnel in 2025, when construction work is expected to end on the Silvertown Tunnel nearby.
Drivers are not currently charged for using the Blackwall Tunnel, but a fee is being introduced to help pay back the construction cost for the £2bn project in Silvertown.
TfL said the toll will apply to both tunnels to help manage traffic levels.
Plans for the toll charge on the Blackwall Tunnel, which is used by around 100,000 motorists every day, were first made public by TfL in 2012, but reports about it have re-emerged in recent days as Mr Khan prepares to extend the controversial Ulez charges to all London boroughs.
When complete, the Silvertown Tunnel will link the Greenwich Peninsula on the south bank of the river Thames to east London on the north bank. TfL says the Silvertown Tunnel will help reduce heavy congestion and delays on the Blackwall Tunnel.
From 2025 drivers using either tunnel will have to pay an as yet undecided fee and some motorists, already angry about Ulez and congestion charges, have described the plan as another “cash grab” by the London mayor.
“The Blackwall Tunnel will only be the start of it - I can see tolls being up on other bridges and crossings as well,” Robin Hopkins, the 63-year-old director of delivery firm RMH Same Day Couriers, told Mail Online.
Mr Hopkins said he often travels through central London and any additional costs incurred during his trips would ultimately have to be passed onto customers. “It’s a trickle-down effect,” he added.
Traffic heads towards the Blackwall Tunnel on a weekday morning, London,— (Rex)
“Transport businesses have already been hammered by fuel costs, and a lot of them have had to pack it in after decades of service.
“Motorists are clearly being targeted for a cash grab by Sadiq Khan. We urgently need a new mayor who befits the role.”
Twitter user Siama Qadar, who describes herself as a “serial entrepreneur”, condemned Mr Khan for “another money-making scheme to batter motorists”.
“Not only are we being subjected to Ulez, but also have to pay for Blackwall Tunnel as well. @sadiqkhan and @tfl, please explain why you continue to hurt London motorists?” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
TfL says new tunnel will reduce traffic and delays on nearby Blackwall Tunnel— (TfL)
Mr Khan is extending the Ulez charge to all 32 London boroughs later this month. The scheme - plans for which were first announced by Boris Johnson in 2015 when he was mayor of London - is aimed at improving the capital’s air quality.
The plan means that drivers of vehicles that do not meet Euro 4 emissions regulations will have to pay a £12.50 charge every day they use their car. The scheme will hit people who drive older cars and critics say the costs of Ulez will disproportionately affect those least able to pay.
Ulez has also caused tensions with the Labour Party and was blamed for the party losing the Uxbridge and Ruislip by-election.
A spokesman for TfL said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
