On 7 April London saw the opening of a new tunnel under the River Thames at Silvertown.

The 1.4km tunnel now links Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula.  Although the tunnel has been largely advertised as for use by public transport to improve accessibilities across the river, it is also available for use by HGVs on payment of a £10 toll during peak hours (£5 off peak).  HGVs can use the tunnel free between 10pm and 6am.  The new tunnel aims to reduce congestion at the nearby Blackwall Tunnel.

Logistics UK Senior Policy Manager - Road Freight Regulation, Chris Yarsley, said it will increase network resilience and make journey times more predictable, but feels the high toll charges penalise essential delivery vehicles who have no alternative means of servicing the capital.

“Industry recognises that road charges are necessary to fund new infrastructure, but larger vehicles do not have the options to switch to other modes of transport and essential delivery vehicles have little alternative option but to use the capital’s road network,” he explained. “Industry ends up paying disproportionately more towards construction costs than private road users, and TfL should introduce a flat rate of tolls for fleet operators while offering discounts for zero emission vehicles, which would be more in line with the current London Congestion Charge scheme.”

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Photo: The Silvertown Tunnel north entrance.