Drivers attack ‘mad’ Blackwall Tunnel fees to launch soon as ‘another tax on Londoners’

Thousands of drivers will soon be charged to travel through the Blackwall Tunnel in another blow to motorists in London.

Transport for London has confirmed the fees will be introduced from 2025 and will be payable on top of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and congestion charge.

The tunnel is one of the key arteries into the capital with a staggering 100,000 drivers using the road every day.

Motorists have hit out at the plans with angry road users taking to social media to vent their anger at the new proposals.

It comes as Sadiq Khan already faces motorists’ fury with his £12.50 per day ULEZ expansion set to come into effect at the end of the month.

Twitter user @kimi_Silver said: “Another money-making scheme to batter motorists, a toll fee to be introduced at the Blackwall Tunnel in the next few years.”

@CianWilliam added: “Increased Congestion Charge, expanded ULEZ and now a potential toll on the Blackwall Tunnel, only the rich will be able to afford driving in London before too long, when will this madness stop.”

@AndyWandy777 remarked: “I don’t understand why there’s a charge to cross the river in East London, while West London has more crossing options and no charges.

“Charging to use the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels and the Dartford crossing will increase traffic to [Rotherhithe] and Tower Bridge.”

Meanwhile, some Londoners questioned Khan’s position as they called out the Mayor’s anti-car policies.

@ashleybmarc posted: “Yeah it’s enough now… Sadiq Khan has to go.

“A charge on the Blackwall Tunnel is just another tax on Londoners trying to get around. We’re not seeing this money reinvested back into communities or infrastructure either, so what is the point.”

@scatsta30 commented: “Another Khan initiative I suppose.”

The new costs will pay for building and maintaining the new Silvertown tunnel which will offer a new route into the Greenwich Peninsula.

Any extra revenue generated by the new fees will be reinvested into London’s transport network.

The exact rates have yet to be decided with charges to be set by officials closer to launch.

However, the Dartford Tunnel currently costs £2.50 for cars while motorcycles and mopeds go free.

TfL has stressed the fees could be reduced if the new tunnel doesn’t meet certain standards.

However, campaign group Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition claimed the new fees would be hard for Khan to justify.

They explained: “This one is going to be even more difficult for the Mayor because it’s not a charge to remove existing pollution; it’s a charge to remove the excess traffic, pollution and congestion generated by his own Silvertown Tunnel project.”

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