Drivers heading north towards the Blackwall Tunnel are averaging 30mph during the morning rush hour – three times quicker than before the Silvertown tunnel opened, according to new data.
Transport for London said average speeds on the northbound A102 approach road to the tunnels – which are adjacent to one another on the south side of the Thames – had increased from 9mph in March to 30mph.
But this suggests that many drivers may be breaking the 30mph speed limit once they pass a set of speed cameras on the approach to the tunnel entrances.
The £2.2 billion Silvertown Tunnel opened on April 7, linking the Greenwich peninsula with the Royal Docks and Canning Town on the north side of the river and providing an alternative route under the Thames.
The northern approach to the Blackwall Tunnel was previously a hotspot for congestion but the decision of London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to build the Silvertown Tunnel and introduce tolls at both tunnels has reduced total daily traffic volumes by five per cent, according to TfL’s latest data.
However this is only true during the week - as there has been a 3.7 per cent increase in weekend traffic, with the number of daily journeys increasing from 84,200 to 87,300, when the toll for the bulk of the day is only £1.50.
The latest data, which looks at the first 11 weeks, up until June 21, of both tunnels being open and tolled, revealed that about 91,000 vehicles used the tunnels on a typical weekday – about 69,000 using the Blackwall tunnel and 22,000 using the Silvertown.
This compares with about 96,000 vehicles a day using Blackwall before Silvertown opened – about 5,000 fewer a day, equating to a 5% reduction in traffic.
This is less than first announced in June – TfL at first estimated there were 12,000 fewer vehicles a day in the vicinity – suggesting the tolls are having less of a deterrent effect than first seen.
Car drivers have to pay up to £4 per crossing to use the tunnels, depending on the time of day – with the highest rates charged northbound from 6am-10am and southbound from 4pm-7pm on weekdays.
TfL says there is “significantly less congestion” around the approaches to the Blackwall tunnel, resulting in a 70 per cent decrease in journey times in the morning peak when compared with March.
TfL described the Silvertown tunnel as a “huge success for Londoners” and said there had been more than 20,000 daily trips on the three bus routes – the SL4 Superloop, the SL4, the 129 and the 108 - that use the tunnels and which are free to use until next April. Of these 20,000 bus trips, about 7,000 involve passengers crossing the river.
But critics said the Silvertown Tunnel had increased traffic and congestion in a different part of London – and that traffic had only reduced at Blackwall due to the imposition of the tolls.
Drivers will pay about £100 million a year in tolls over the next 25 years to enable TfL to repay the cost of the PFI contract that was used to build the Silvertown tunnel.
Dominic Leggett, from the Stop Silvertown Tunnel Traffic and Pollution campaign group, said: “The mayor right now is complaining that he has no money from central government to invest in London's public transport and cycling infrastructure.
“He could've had £100 million more a year to spend, and removed congestion from the Blackwall tunnel, just by tolling Blackwall.”
There are also concerns at a big increase in the number of vehicles that have diverted to use the free Woolwich ferry to cross the Thames to avoid paying the toll.
Compliance with the new tolls is “high” at 87 per cent - but means that about one in seven drivers is likely to receive a £180 fine for failing to pay.
The cycle shuttle bus through the Silvertown tunnel, that TfL is providing at a cost of £2 million, is only being used by an average of about one cyclist per bus – a total of 125 to 130 cyclists a day.
Use of the cycle shuttle peaked on the opening day of the Silvertown tunnel, when it carried 299 passengers. The lowest daily usage was recorded eight days later, on April 15, when it was used by only 53 cyclists.
The mayor has so far refused suggestions that pedestrians should also be able to use the cycle shuttle bus, which links Royal Victoria station near City Hall with the Greenwich peninsula.
Sir Sadiq Khan said: “The new data… clearly demonstrates the impact the new Silvertown Tunnel is having. It’s a big win for London.
“Since it opened in April, we have seen congestion significantly reduced at the Blackwall Tunnel, ensuring more Londoners get to their destination on time.
“This is encouraging early data, and we will continue to monitor the impacts of the scheme as we continue to build a better, greener and fairer London for everyone.”
