Calls made to scrap Blackwall and Silvertown tolls

A petition containing more than 37,000 signatures calling for proposed tolls on the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels to be scrapped has been presented at City Hall.

Toll charges of up to £4 per journey through the soon-to-open Silvertown Tunnel and the neighbouring Blackwall Tunnel were announced by Transport for London (TfL) on 26 November.

The Silvertown Tunnel will open next spring and will provide a new road crossing under the Thames between Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula.

The charges are "designed to manage levels of traffic using the tunnels", TfL has said.

A TfL spokesperson added that without the tolls, "traffic would increase in both tunnels causing delays and congestion, which contribute to poorer air quality".

TfL has said that once the new tunnel has opened, both the new and existing tunnels will incur a peak-time charge for cars of £4 per crossing.

At off-peak hours, the charge will be £1.50 and the tunnels will be free to access overnight between 22:00 and 06:00.

The tolls are also being used to cover the tunnel's £2bn construction cost and will go towards its maintenance.

Blackheath resident Liam Davis started the petition asking for mayor Sadiq Khan to scrap the proposed charges.

The petition has stated the tolls "threaten to disrupt ordinary people's way of life" and would "hurt families, individuals, and businesses who depend on these routes".

It was formally presented at a City Hall meeting on Thursday by Reform UK's London Assembly member, Alex Wilson.

Having now accrued more than 37,300 signatures, Mr Wilson said it was the biggest petition ever presented to the assembly in its 24-year history.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The Blackwall Tunnel has been free to use for over 100 years, and now it's going to cost, depending on what time of day you go, up to £8 per day, if you go in both directions – and that's another charge, tax, whatever you want to call it, on hard-working Londoners."

Mr Wilson also said the tolls risked diverting drivers towards the Rotherhithe Tunnel, which is free to use.

The petition will be passed to Mr Khan's office for a formal response from the assembly.

Mr Khan said TfL had worked closely with local communities on the proposals.

"There are massive concessions, which have been changed in light of the consultation," he said.

"Once the tunnel opens, I'm hoping that those people who are concerned will have their concerns ameliorated by the concessions."

TfL announced last week that a  50% discount would be available for low-income drivers in 12 east and south-east London boroughs and the City of London.

There will also be a £1 discount on the standard off-peak charge for at least one year for small businesses, sole traders and charities registered in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Greenwich.

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