Hauliers may have to shell out up to £20 a day to use the Blackwall tunnel next year, as London’s mayor looks to ease chronic congestion and pollution.

Transport for London (TfL) has set out a package of charges for users of the East London tunnel, as well as for the new Silvertown tunnel which is scheduled to open next spring.

The tunnel user charges will be introduced for both tunnels between 6am and 10pm, seven days a week.

TfL is proposing a £5 charge for HGVs using one of the tunnels in a single trip at off peak times and £10 during peak periods.

It said that the proximity of the two tunnels meant that, ever since the plans were conceived in 2012, both need to be charged to stop traffic levels from increasing as a result of drivers seeking to use the uncharged crossing.

Drivers failing to pay the charges could be hit with £180 penalty charge notices, although they would be reduced to £90 if paid within two weeks.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “When it opens in 2025, the long-planned new Silvertown tunnel will help deliver quicker, more reliable journeys in east London by easing congestion and making journeys up to 20 minutes faster.

“The Silvertown Tunnel scheme has been years in the making, first developed back 2012.”

TfL’s director of strategy, Christina Calderato, said it was consulting with Londoners on its proposed charging levels so that they could have their say: “Without introducing tunnel user charges for the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels, there would likely be high levels of traffic and congestion, which would lead to detrimental air quality impacts, as well as longer journey times,” she said.

The consultation runs for eight weeks and can be found here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/TC-yourview

Topics