Transport for London is spending almost £2m on a “bike bus” to transport cyclists through the Silvertown tunnel, The Standard can reveal.
The figure emerged as concerns were raised about the way the shuttle bus will operate when the tunnel opens on Monday April 7 – and after TfL’s own consultation found that many cyclists were unlikely to use it.
TfL awarded the tender to Stagecoach East London to operate the bike bus – using three converted battery-electric single deckers – last September, but has only recently published the details.
Stagecoach was the only firm to bid for the contract, which it offered to run in return for £1,967,010 from TfL.
The contract is believed to be for three years. The bike bus – which will not carry passengers without bikes - will be free to use for at least the first year.
TfL announced on Monday that the Silvertown tunnel, which will link North Greenwich and the Royal Docks, will open in three months.
Tolls of up to £4 per journey for car drivers will be imposed – including at the nearby Blackwall tunnel, for the first time in its 130-year-old history.
Cyclists will not be allowed to ride through either tunnel for safety reasons but will be able to load their bike onto the “bike bus” that will operate five times an hour from 6.30am to 9.30pm, seven days a week.
However the bus stop it will use on the Greenwich peninsula is on a dual carriageway that is in an “extremely hostile” area for cyclists, according to one local critic.
In addition, concerns have been raised that cyclists will be “stuck” on the bus and unable to get off until it reaches its only bus stop on the north side of the Thames, near Royal Victoria DLR station.
There are also fears that the bike bus will not be able to accommodate cargo bikes, including the large bikes used by many families as a way of transporting young children.
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According to a map published by TfL, the bike bus “cycle stop” on Millennium Way will be near a major roundabout intersection with Blackwall Lane and Bugsby’s Way, and will not link directly with any existing protected cycle routes.
The blogger Murky Depths said: “TfL have selected a spot for the Silvertown tunnel cycle bus that's in an area extremely hostile and dangerous for cycling when approaching from much of Greenwich.”
Amazing. TfL have selected a spot for the Silvertown tunnel cycle bus that's in an area extremely hostile and dangerous for cycling when approaching from much of Greenwich. pic.twitter.com/Rym8lwzHdW
— Murky Depths (@TheMurkyDepths) January 6, 2025
Karin Tearle, a former Green party candidate for the London Assembly, said: “It looks to me like this cycle bus was an after-thought, a bit of PR to silence critics.
“Sadiq Khan says he wants us to use public transport & participate in active travel but this won't be easy.”
It looks to me like this cycle bus was an after thought,a bit of PR to silence critics. Sadiq Khan says he wants us to use public transport & participate in active travel but this won't be easy. @LDN_pressoffice @LDN_environment @TransportActio2 @GreenwichCycle @willnorman https://t.co/ueemm4wZwi
— Karin Tearle (@BELLEGREENWICH) January 6, 2025
The “cycle stop” on the north side of the Thames will be in Seagull Lane, near Royal Victoria DLR station and about 300 yards from City Hall.
Newham council has almost completed a high-quality segregated cycle lane linking Canning Town and City Hall.
Caroline Russell, a Green party member of the London Assembly, said it would be important to monitor the use of the bike bus due to concerns about its usefulness.
“You really want to get off the moment you come out of the tunnel, so that you can access the Lower Lea Crossing,” she said.
“Instead, you can only get off after the bus has gone round several roundabouts to get to Seagull Lane, near the DLR station.
“Cyclists are not going to be happy to be stuck on a bus in queuing traffic. It’s quite a clunky way to cross the river.”
She called for more detail about the way the bike bus would operate – including whether it will be able to carry cargo bikes and non-standard cycles, such as accessibility trikes.
According to TfL’s response last summer to questions raised during its consultation on the bike bus, the buses will be modified to include “wider bus doors, providing level access from the kerb to the bus so that cyclists can roll on and off, provision of priority seating, provision of cycle storage that can accommodate adapted cycles”.
However it remains unclear whether the buses can be used by cyclists with cargo bikes.
TfL believes the shuttle service, which will have bespoke branding to differentiate it from the conventional London bus network, “will enable cyclists to cross the river safely, reliably and conveniently”.
Stops and shelters will have level boarding access and “guidance” on how to use the service, as well as maps showing local cycle routes to help with journey planning.
TfL said the stops were selected on the basis of being “close to other cycle routes in the local area, are on shared space, and allowed cyclists to spend the shortest amount of time on the bus between the stops”.
Asked if she feared the bike bus was being “set up to fail”, Ms Russell said: “I think it is the job of everyone who cares about reducing carbon emissions to keep an eye on this, and make sure TfL understands that people need to get across the river with their bikes.
“I still think they could make it a tunnel for public transport and cycling. If they got the private car traffic out of the tunnel, they would have so many more options to hit the mayor’s climate targets.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “The Silvertown tunnel cycle-shuttle service will be a new zero-emission service which will have a bespoke design to support cyclists and distinguish the vehicles from the regular bus network.
“Engineers continue to work on the design of this innovative bus to allow it to carry a variety of designs of cycles, and we intend to confirm the final designs and how customers will be able to use the service in the coming weeks.”
