Bexley Council call Silvertown Tunnel fees ‘unfair’

The London Borough of Bexley has criticised the introduction of toll fees for the new Silvertown Tunnel and the Blackwall Tunnel as being unfair to its residents.

The council highlighted the peak rate charges as being ‘of particular concern’, as they only apply when travelling northbound between 6-10am and southbound between 4-7pm.

This means that Bexley residents who have registered for Auto Pay — Transport for London’s (TfL) automated toll payment system— would end up paying £4 for each crossing in a day.

For commuters travelling in opposite directions — southbound between 6-10am and northbound between 4-7pm — the charge is discounted as an off-peak rate of £1.50 each way, totalling only £3 for a day.

Bexley Council said that, during the consultation period with TfL, it requested a ‘thorough assessment of the economic consequences prior to any charges being finalised’, but TfL approved the charges with ‘few changes to their original proposal, and with very little benefit to Bexley’.

Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Cllr Richard Diment, said: ‘This is a real kick in the teeth for our residents and small businesses who are being treated unfairly. The higher charge for travelling South to North from boroughs such as Bexley to Newham needs to be urgently addressed with a more comprehensive package of concessions.

‘Residents and businesses in Bexley have no choice but to use the tunnels given the lack of modern public transport links serving the borough and should not be discriminated against for doing so.

'We have long been campaigning for better transport links and for a broader commitment on public transport investment but this has been ignored.’