London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, Thomas Turrell, is urging local residents and businesses to have their say in the consultation on the tolling of both the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels fron next year.
Transport for London launched the Consultation on the 10th July, with participants having eight weeks to share their views before the consultation closes on the 3rd September.
Residents and businesses can take part using the online questionnaire – found on the TfL website at: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/tc-yourview?utm_medium=email&utm_source=%20tc-yourview_sh.
The consultation is around the rate of tolls with TfL proposing the following tolls:
Conservative Member of Parliament for Old Bexley and Sidcup, Louie French, is running a petition against tolls for the Blackwall Tunnel, which can be signed at https://www.louiefrench.org.uk/campaigns/say-no-blackwall-toll.
TfL is proposing a series of exemptions to support drivers, which Thomas has argued do not go far enough. Thomas also believes the proposed toll rates are too high, especially when compared to what is being charged at the Dartford crossing.
Thomas said:
“I encourage all residents to have their say in this important consultation. The outcome is going to have a big impact on local motorists, so it is important that local views are heard in this process.
When tolls at these crossings were first proposed there was supposed to be another two crossings installed as well to reduce the congestion on roads in South-East London. Instead, this Mayor cancelled the other two crossings in a short-sighted move. Now we will have two crossings on the Greenwich Peninsula, which will still be the only reliable crossing points between the peninsula and Dartford. I am also concerned that drivers and small businesses in South-East London will be subject to tolling for the few crossings available while those in West London have more crossings for free. We should not be building this kind of unfairness into our transport network.
The proposed exemptions by TfL just do not go far enough. The £1 discount for one year is frankly insulting. The exemption schemes in Dartford is much more generous than what TfL is proposing. These exemptions desperately need to be reviewed by TfL which is what I will be saying in my response.”
