The Anonymous Widower

Checking The Traffic In The Blackwall Tunnel

In A Return Journey Through The Silvertown Tunnel On A 129 Bus, I observed that there wasn’t much traffic in the Silvertown Tunnel, but that it might be in the Blackwall Tunnel.

So this morning, I went through the Blackwall tunnel to check and took these pictures.

Note.

  1. I caught the 108 bus from bus stop F, which is opposite the taxi rank at Stratford station.
  2. The bus went round parts of the Olympic Park to pick up passengers.
  3. There was quite a bit of traffic slowing my journey before the Blackwall Tunnel.
  4. I went Southbound first in the modern tunnel buiult in the 1960s.
  5. I turned round at North Greenwich station, as the bus was crowded and I wanted a good seat from on return, from which to take pictures.
  6. I came back in the Northbound tunnel, which dates from the 1890s.

But I achieved my objective and found that the Blackwall Tunnel was taking more vehicles than the Silvertown Tunnel. Even the buses were taking more passengers!

I have further thoughts.

I Don’t Like The Blackwall Tunnel

Consider.

  • We were going to my Uncle Bert’s house in Broadstairs one day, when I was about eight.
  • In those days of the 1950s, there was only one bore of the tunnel and we got stuck in it, for a couple of hours.
  • I don’t remember using the tunnel again and I suspect we probably used Tower or London Bridge.

The last time I used it in a car, was coming back from Gatwick to when we lived just North of Ipswich and the Dartford Crossing was blocked. So I cut through South-East London, drove through the Blackwall Tunnel and up the A12.

If I Was A Driver I’d Probably Take The Silvertown Tunnel

Unless of course there was a problem!

April 10, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 2 Comments

Offshore Grid For Irish, Celtic and North Seas Closer To Delivery

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Irish Times.

This is the sub-heading.

Joint development can be ‘key step for Europe’s energy future’ and climate neutrality

These paragraphs add detail.

EirGrid and other leading European power transmission system operators (TSOs) have backed moves to develop an offshore electricity grid for the Irish, Celtic and North seas.

The next stage in a collaboration, being undertaken by nine system operators under the Offshore TSO Collaboration (OTC), was announced at the WindEurope annual conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

It followed the initial results of a pilot study evaluating how the grid could be established.

The report supports Europe’s goal of establishing a “green power plant” offshore that will play a crucial role in the Continent securing an independent, affordable and climate-neutral energy supply.

If you open the article, there is an excellent map of the various interconnectors, that will be in place by 2040.

Conclusion

This is all good stuff and can only lead to energy security for the participating countries.

 

 

April 10, 2025 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , | Leave a comment