Siân Berry AM warns a future Mayor could wobble on the Silvertown Road Tunnel, remove tolls and open floodgates to more congestion

Controversy is growing about the planned tolls for the Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Road Tunnel. Siân Berry AM says that this is the right time to look at greener uses of the planned new tunnels.

Many Londoners are just now realising that both the new tunnels and the existing tunnels at Blackwall are proposed to be tolled under the current Mayor’s plans, with some commentators describing the planned tolls of £4 for cars as ‘a disgrace’ and ‘a cash cow’.[1]

Therefore, today Siân Berry AM is warning that there is a high risk of a future Mayor being pressured into removing the tolls, which are the last line of defence against dramatic induced traffic in east and south-east London.

Siân Berry AM says:
“If the Silvertown Road Tunnel opens for motor vehicles, the tolls will be the only thing holding back a tide of pollution and congestion in south and south-east London. The reaction to the potential toll rates shows there is a huge risk a future Mayor could wobble and get pushed into removing the charges.

“Greener uses of the Silvertown Road Tunnel urgently need to be planned. There is no way the new tunnels can be opened for motor traffic. People in east and south east London are crying out for new ways to get across the river on public transport and on wheels and on foot.”  

In 2022, an Assembly motion proposed by Siân Berry AM asked the Mayor to model the consequences of the Silvertown Road Tunnel charges being removed, but the Mayor refused the Assembly’s request.[2]

Alternative uses of the new tunnels were explored in workshops hosted by Siân Berry AM in 2022, and were further visualised last week by campaign group Possible.[3,4]