Silvertown Tunnel Easing Congestion, TfL Says
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Transport for London (TfL) has shared the first insights about the impact on traffic of the new Silvertown Tunnel, as part of commissioner Andy Lord’s latest report to the TfL Board.
These two initial paragraphs gives a summary of about three weeks traffic.
Analysis of data between 21 April and 11 May shows the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels are being used by an average of about 88,000 vehicles on a typical weekday. Of these, about 20,000 are using the Silvertown Tunnel.
Before the tunnel opened on 7 April, about 100,000 vehicles used the Blackwall Tunnel on weekdays.
TfL are claiming that this 12,000 drop in traffic is helping to ease congestion.
Logically, a drop in traffic will ease congestion, but the BBC article also says this.
However, it said it was aware of some increased traffic volumes at other river crossings, including the Woolwich Ferry.
The only other river crossings in the area are the Rotherhithe Tunnel and the Woolwich Ferry, both of which are free to all users.
So is the drop in traffic through the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels, due to drivers objecting to paying a toll and taking a free route instead?
On The Buses
The BBC article says this about bus passengers.
Mr Lord’s report also provided ridership data about the three bus services that operate through both tunnels: the new Superloop SL4, the extended route 129 and the 108, which already ran through the Blackwall Tunnel before 7 April.
Across the routes there is a daily average of more than 20,000 passengers making use of these services, of which typically about 7,000 are crossing the river using one of the two tunnels. In March 2025, there were about 2,700 crossings a day made using route 108.
The increase in bus passengers is not surprising.
Before the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel, there was just this bus service through the Blackwall Tunnel.
- London Bus 108 – Stratford and Lewisham via North Greenwich.
This has now been joined by, these bus services through the Silvertown Tunnel.
- London Bus 129 – Great Eastern Quay and Lewisham via City Airport and North Greenwich.
- London Bus SL4 – Canary Wharf and Grove Park via East India, Blackheath and Lee.
Note how the buses call at rail stations, an airport and other important traffic interchanges.
In Could The Silvertown Tunnel Handle More Buses?, I asked if buses through the Silvertown Tunnel should be increased?
Given that traffic through the combined Silvertown/Blackwall complex has dropped by 12,000 vehicles per day, that must leave space for a few buses or coaches.
- Assuming, that one bus or coach takes up the space of four cars, that would be space for 3,000 buses/coaches per day.
- Also assuming the bus and coach services are run on a twenty-four hour basis, that would be 125 buses/coaches per hour.
If the bus and coach services ran every ten minutes, that would say, there is space in the tunnel for up to a dozen new bus or coach routes.
There could develop a virtuous circle and feedback loop, which drives the tunnel to a state of equilibrium, where traffic grows through the tunnels, until it is maximised.
Consider.
- Research shows a bus route from A to B through the tunnel would attract passengers.
- Drivers and their passengers decide that on balance a bus ride is more convenient, no slower and more affordable than driving.
- Congestion charges and other charges for non-electric vehicles will play their part.
- Green issues will also will play their part.
- Fewer cars will use the tunnels.
- Increasing tunnel charges will only drive more car users to the buses.
- More free space in the tunnel, will allow more bus and coach routes.
- More bus and coach routes will attract drivers from their cars.
Eventually, equilibrium will be reached.
A similar effect happens, when a new bypass is opened and as if by magic it fills up.
When it happens with train services I call it, London Overground Syndrome.
On Your Bike
The BBC article says this about cyclists.
There is also a cycle shuttle service, enabling cyclists to take their bikes free of charge on a bus through the Silvertown Tunnel. TfL said some 100-150 people were using it on a typical day.
While this is below its capacity, TfL believes usage will grow as cyclists adapt their routes to benefit from this safer crossing option.
When I used to cycle around London in the 1970s, I never cycled under the Thames, but I did generally cycle as fast as I could across the city. I wouldn’t have put my bicycle on a free bus.
So, is this why the cycle shuttle service is below capacity?
The BBC article says this.
TfL believes usage will grow as cyclists adapt their routes to benefit from this safer crossing option.
I believe, that if TfL should ever charge for the cycle shuttle service, they’d kill it.
In my opinion, they’d be better off providing secure bike parking, but even some of that seems lightly used.
Tunnel Performance
The BBC article says this about tunnel charging and performance.
TfL said it intended to publish quarterly factsheets on the operational performance of the tunnels’ toll scheme.
This will include information about how many people pay the charge, the compliance rates for vehicles using the tunnels and the number of Penalty Charge Notices that are issued.
The first of these factsheets will be published later this year, but initial data shows that compliance has steadily increased, with about 90% of motorists either paying a charge or benefiting from an exemption.
Surprisingly, so far, I haven’t met anybody who has driven through the Silvertown Tunnel, except for a couple of bus drivers.
Silvertown Tunnel: Has Sadiq Khan’s £2.2billion Scheme Ended Rush-Hour Jams?
This video from The Standard shows the Silvertown Tunnel in the Peak.
It also shows traffic in the Rotherhithe Tunnel.
Council’s Concerns Over Suggested Tunnel Charges
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Concerns have been raised by a county council over suggested charges at the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels in London.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Kent County Council (KCC) said the proposed charges could impact on the county’s traffic, including at the Dartford Crossing.
The council said although it supported TfL’s ambition to improve journey reliability and reduce air pollution, it believed the proposed changes could “significantly affect” drivers from Kent.
I can’t see that the charges on the two tunnels won’t affect drivers habits.
Thirty years ago, before satellite-navigation had been invented, when my family and myself lived in East Suffolk, if I was returning from Brighton or Gatwick, I would make a choice about, whether to use the Dartford Crossing or the Blackwall Tunnel. Sometimes traffic was so bad, that I had to take the longer Western route using the M11 and the A14.
I didn’t really bother about the toll on the Dartford Tunnel, as it was then, but often the free Blackwall route was quicker.
In those days, I was relying on radio reports, but now with satellite-navigation, drivers will be taking more intelligent decisions, that take account of tolls.
The BBC article also says this.
The council says Kent drivers make up 10% of the Blackwall Tunnel’s users.
So it looks like the drivers of Kent will be paying tolls to London.
These are my thoughts.
How Can The Tolls Be Avoided?
There will still be two free crossings, to the East of Tower Bridge; the Rotherhithe Tunnel and the Woolwich Ferry, but how long will they remain free, if they drain money from the tolled tunnels?
What About The Trains?
Trains from somewhere like Ebbsfleet international station can be used.
Ebbsfleet international station has a lot of parking, but at some stations parking is distinctly limited.
I doubt though, that Transport for London have done a professional survey of the amount of parking that is needed.
They tend to believe if people live out of London, that parking for trips to London is not a Transport for London problem.
Are there any plans to increase the train frequencies, if more people use them?
Note that Off Peak Day Return tickets can be purchased with a Railcard, from Dartford to London for under a tenner, and from Ebbsfleet international to London for under fifteen pounds.
If Built, Will The Lower Thames Crossing Help?
The first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the Lower Thames Crossing, describes it like this.
The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed road crossing of the Thames estuary downstream of the Dartford Crossing that links the counties of Kent and Essex, and its proposed approaches. If built it would pass through the districts of Thurrock and Gravesham, supplementing the Dartford route. The approximately 14.3-mile (23.0 km) route is being assessed by the Planning Inspectorate.
As it is likely to cost nine billion pounds and take six years to build, I can’t see the current Government building it.
But it would certainly make it easier for traffic to go between the Channel Tunnel and North of London.
Conclusion
I can see the UK muddling through, when we should be bold and create the transport infrastructure for the Twenty-First Century.
For instance, I would extend the Elizabeth Line in the North-East to Southend and in the South-East to Ebbsfleet and Gravesend. With the existing cross-platform interchange at Whitechapel, I believe, it could pick up much of the cross-river passenger traffic close to London.
I also feel that there will need to be improved connections between the fast-expanding London Gateway freight port and the Channel Tunnel.
Are Motorists Set To Be Charged For Using The Rotherhithe Tunnel?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Highway News.
These are the first two paragraphs of the article.
Despite TfL commissioner Andy Lord insisting there were “no plans” to start charging drivers to use the Rotherhithe tunnel, concerns are mounting that road tolls could be imposed on a third river crossing in east London,
According to the Evening Standard ‘critics’ suspect that many motorists will divert to the 116-year-old tunnel, which lies east of Tower Bridge and links Rotherhithe and Limehouse, when £4 rush-hour tolls are introduced next Spring at the Blackwall and new Silvertown tunnels.
As I understand it, to use the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels, you will have to register with TfL AutoPay system, so tolling will be automatic.
It looks to me, that if journeys were to be charged for the Rotherhithe tunnel, then this would not be the most difficult of propositions.
The article also says this about the maintenance of the Rotherhithe tunnel.
But he suggested this could change if money had to be raised to repay the cost of a long-awaited upgrade. At present, the tunnel is closed every Monday night for maintenance.
I certainly, wouldn’t rule out a London Mayor in the future charging for traffic through the Rotherhithe tunnel.
Some London bridges, like Hammersmith, are also very much in need of repair. So perhaps, temporary tolls could be applied to raise money for the upgrades!
Conclusion
I suspect Spring 2025 will be an interesting time for motorists needing to cross the Thames, to the East of Tower Bridge.
The Northern End Of The Silvertown Tunnel
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the Northern end of the Silvertown Tunnel.
Note.
- The two dotted white lines show the route of the Silvertown Tunnel.
- The green lines are the Docklands Light Railway.
- The Northern green line is the Beckton branch.
- The Southern green line is the Woolwich Arsenal branch.
- The two silver-grey lines that loop across the top part of the map are the Jubilee Line.
- Canning Town Station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- The pair of cream lines across the map to the South of Canning Town station are the tunnels of the Elizabeth Line.
- The black dotted line going across the South-East corner of the map is the cable car.
This Google Map shows vaguely the same area.
Note.
- Canning Town station at the North of the map in the middle.
- The dual carriage road running NW-SE past Canning Town station, is numbered A1011 in the North-West and A1020 in the South-East.
- The A1011 crosses over a roundabout and the Beckton branch of the DLR on a flyover.
- The roundabout is the Tidal Basin Roundabout, which will be the Northern connection of the Silvertown Tunnel.
- The road running West from the roundabout is the Lower Lea Crossing, which leads to Canary Wharf and the City.
- The water to the right, is the Royal Victoria Dock.
- The Royal Docks cable car station can be seen in the North-West corner of the dock.
- The new City Hall is between the cable car and the A1011.
Comparing the two maps, it appears that the Silvertown Tunnel will emerge somewhere in the cleared land to the West of the A1011.
This second Google Map shows the Tidal Basin roundabout, City Hall and the Royal Docks cable car station.
I took these pictures of the area from the cable-car yesterday.
Note.
- The cable-car wasn’t busy.
- I was sitting alone on the Western side of the car.
I have some thoughts about the Silvertown Tunnel.
The Silvertown Tunnel Is Convenient For The New City Hall
From the Google Map, I included earlier, it looks like City Hall is on a loop from the Tidal Basin Roundabout.
it is also especially convenient for those members and officials who live in South London, who will just nip through the new tunnel.
I suspect that limousine access for the great and good to the old City Hall wasn’t as good.
The Obvious Truck Route To The City of London From the Channel Tunnel Will Be To Use The Silverton Tunnel
Recently. I have been watching the construction of 22 Ropemaker Street and I have surprised at how many large components for this building have come in by truck from Europe.
As they seem to arrive overnight, they are probably sneaked in by a secret route like the A13 to avoid a crossing of the River.
As Blackwall and Rotherhithe Tunnels don’t have a high clearance, could these components come into City through the Silvertown Tunnel.
I certainly feel that large truck access to Central London, is the major reason for building the Silvertown Tunnel.
But will large numbers of trucks using the Silverton Tunnel increase congestion on the roads in East London?
As Hackney and Newham are against the Silvertown Tunnel, I suspect they expect lots of traffic to be generated.
Will Satellite Navigation Systems Recommend Using The Silvertown Tunnel?
Of course they will and I suspect when the Northern section of the M25 is congested, vehicles will be sent through the Silvertown Tunnel and London to go North. I must admit, that my brain has sent me on that route to get through London, when the M25 is congested. But then I would generally have been driving a nippy Jaguar estate car, that could use Rotherhithe Tunnel or the bridges in Central London.
The Anonymous Widower 