The new Silvertown Tunnel is intended to provide another road crossing under the Thames to ease congestion on the nearby Blackwall Tunnel, but a trio of councillors in the London borough of Greenwich has called for a halt to construction and a rethink.
The three members, Majella Anning, Maisie Richards Cottell and David Gardner, want to see a change in the design of the tunnel, with walkers and cyclists given priority over motor vehicles.
As News Shopper reports, Greenwich Council documents have revealed the motion submitted by the three “calls on the Mayor of London to pause construction of the second bore of the tunnel.”
If it is too late to stop the excavation work, the motion adds, then the next move should be to “pause opening of the tunnel until new proposals to prioritise public transport, cargo bikes and cycling have been drawn up and evaluated.”
This is not the first time that the plans drawn up by Transport for London (TfL) have been challenged; last year Greenwich Councillors called for boring work on the tunnel to be halted, while members of Newham Council, where the north end of the tunnel emerges, have previously backed a call for cyclists and pedestrians to get priority.
However, TfL recently unveiled plans for two bus services to use the tunnel. This came as no surprise to anyone familiar with the project, as the TfL plans for the tunnel state that one of the aims is to “Provide more opportunities to cross the river by public transport with a network of zero-emission buses offering new routes and better access to more destinations”.
The Silvertown tunnel is not the only planned crossing under the Thames intended to ease traffic on existing routes that has been fiercely debated.
As The Guardian recently reported, the Lower Thames crossing on Kent has also been hotly contested. Proponents argue the planned six-lane tunnel is an essential development to ease congestion, while the opponents claim it is a waste of money, will not achieve its aims and will cut through local greenbelt land.
If you need roller conveyor accessories for your tunnel project, contact us today.
