Two major tunnels used by over 100,000 a day WILL be tolled with drivers forced to pay £4 each time they pass through
OVER 100,000 motorists are set to be charged £4 for using two major tunnels in London.
TfL confirmed drivers will be slapped with the levy to use the Blackwall tunnel and the Silvertown tunnel.
The plans for the changes were first revealed in September 2023 and sparked furious protests from cash-strapped commuters.
During peak hours, the toll fee will be £4 and during off-peak it will cost £1.50.
The charges will run seven days a week from 6am to 10pm.
If motorists want to make the most of the £1.50 toll charge they will need to sign up to TfL’s ‘auto-pay’ plan.
Drivers who don’t sign up to the scheme will still have to pay £4 – even during off-peak travel times.
Peak hours will run from 6am to 10am for northbound traffic and 4pm to 7pm on weekday evenings for southbound traffic.
There will be no charge between 10pm and 6am on weekdays or weekends.
The two-lane Blackwall tunnel has been free to use since it opened in 1897.
The new costs will coincide with the opening of the Silvertown tunnel, which is ahead of schedule, though an official date of beginning of service has not yet been announced.
The £2.2bn tunnel is set to open in the spring of 2025 and will connect the Royal Docks on the north side of the Thames.
The tolls could also rise in the future to keep in line with inflation, TfL’s director of strategy Christina Calderato has admitted.
She told the Evening Standard: “The primary objective of the charges is to make sure we meet the objectives of managing traffic and congestion.
“We need to keep them under review to ensure those [objectives] are still being met.
“That might mean that, in future years, they need to increase. We need to keep that under observation.
“As inflation increases, if we don’t increase charges from time to time, that deterrent effect is decreased.”
Those who fail to pay the correct fee face a £180 fine.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has pushed ahead with building the Silvertown tunnel in the face of criticism from eco activists, to ease delays on approach roads to the Blackwall tunnel – though critics argue it will only increase traffic.
The Stop Silvertown Tunnel Coalition released a statement earlier this year: “‘It’s going to take 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles into Newham and it’s going to attract new HGVs into Greenwich, past our schools and our kids into Newham- the most polluted borough in the UK.”